Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Jack’s father, Thomas William Bowers was a WWI veteran who sustained a series of severe wounds during his time on the Western Front. Named after his father, Thomas, with his mother being Emily Bailey, Thomas Jnr. was born in the mid-north town of Blyth and later worked as a draper’s assistant. He enlisted at Morphettville on the 2nd September 1914, being placed in the 10th Infantry Division as number 991. By the 20th October, he was on his way to serve overseas. Thomas (known as Tom) experienced several bouts of hospitalization throughout his service. At the start of May ’15 he was hospitalized at Heliopolis with a bullet wound to his left wrist and hand, remaining in care for just over three weeks. Tom was soon promoted to Lance Corporal on the 21st August ’15 then by March 1916 was promoted to Corporal, and almost immediately, to Sergeant whilst in Marseilles. Within months he was wounded on the 6th August ‘16 with gunshot wounds to his back and right leg, causing him to be taken to Rouen Hospital the following day. From there he was sent to England to recover. By March ’17 Tom was posted to the General Infantry Reinforcements where he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. Early in September he returned to France and was again promoted ‘In the Field’ as Lieutenant. Just two months later, he was wounded for the third time sustaining severe gunshot wounds to his chest and was taken to England.
At the end of that year, Tom was on command at Balliel College in Oxford as a super-numerary to the 10th Battalion. This time, there was no return to the trenches and he was invalided on the 20th September, spending time in the London General Hospital. Back home, a young woman called Elma Phillippa South, from Wasleys who had previously worked in the Ridley Arms Hotel, had taken particular interest in Jack. On hearing this latest news, Elma wrote, attempting to find out more detail about Tom’s condition. Unfortunately, communication was quite slow and detail, of necessity was minimal. She was, however, told of the hospital that Tom was in and his date of admission, plus a general address for writing.
Inevitably, Tom’s involvement in the war was over and he was extremely fortunate to return to Australia, via Melbourne on the 10th January ’18 and was discharged as Lieutenant on the 18th February ’18 in Adelaide. The culmination of injuries meant that he was declared to have a half incapacity for 6 months and the recommendation that he be granted a temporary Honorary Rank and a pension of £2 a fortnight, which was later doubled. He later needed copy of his discharge papers to assist him gain employment, but in the meantime he and Elma married in the Semaphore Congregational Church on the 21st September and lived at Hannay Street in Largs Bay. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Two years after his father’s discharge, Jack South Bowers was born at the coastal town of Semaphore on the 6th January 1920. His middle name, ‘South’ was in honour of his mother’s family.
Post school, Jack, living in Unley, became a clerk until the outbreak of WWII when the 20-year-old enlisted on the 21st June 1940. Unfortunately, Jack’s neatly handwritten enlistment form, twice clearly stating his full name as Jack South BOWERS was mis-read, with the ‘t’ in his middle name being interpreted as a ‘c’ and consequently all of Jack’s records referring to him with the unlikely and unusual name of Jack ‘Souch’, such was the pressure to rapidly enlist and get men to the front. He was immediately placed in the newly formed 2/48th Battalion as SX7591. Following pre-embarkation leave, Jack bordered the Stratheden on the 7th November ’40 and disembarked a month later on the 17th December.
Jack and his fellow soldiers completed a few months training in Cyrenaica before heading to Tobruk at the start of April 1941 where the dust, flies, heat, minimal water supplies and constant bombardment were quite a challenge to these fresh new enlistees. Jack was to become one of the famed and highly respected Rats of Tobruk, but his life was to be irrevocably changed. By July, he received his first promotion to Lance Corporal, then within five months was Acting Corporal and early in March the following year, the 22-year-old became Corporal. This also followed his own father’s rapid rise through the ranks in the First World War. That year, 1942 was a telling year for the new battalion and its young men. They faced fierce fighting but enacted their creed of ‘No Surrender’.
Back home, Jack’s 54-year-old father died in August ’42 with the Advertiser carrying the announcement. ‘BOWERS.—On August 11 (suddenly). Thomas William, dearly beloved eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Bowers, of Balaklava. aged 54 years. BOWERS.-On August 11 at Adelaide. Thomas William dearly beloved husband of Elma Bowers of 8 Montrose avenue, Norwood. and loving father of Jack (A.I.F., abroad), aged 54 years.’ As a highly respected WWI soldier, Thomas was buried in the A.I.F. Cemetery at West Terrace where a military headstone carried the tribute ‘His Duty Nobly Done’.
Within months more distress was to envelop the small family. Jack was severely wounded in the frenetic action that ensued over October and November, ’42. Jack’s injuries were to change his life, much as his own father’s life had been irrevocably changed by his own injuries in France. Jack sustained severe shot wounds to his back causing spinal injuries, and prolonged hospitalization under both Australian, then British specialist care. He was wounded during the fierce fighting which began at the end of October ’42 and into November.
The 2/48th Battalion were exposed to ever-changing conditions and the fighting continuous. The men had prepared for the second battle of El Alamein which began on October 23rd. That month, Mongomery ordered the 9th Battalion to attack northward. This included an all-out attack on the strategically positioned Trig 29. The evening was described by John Glenn in ‘Tobruk to Tarakan’ as ‘an occasional burst from a machine gun disturbed the night of 24th October. Nevertheless, it was a busy time for the tired men. Little or no sleep could be had. A hot meal sent forward after dark was quickly swallowed. There was no time for yarning. Defences had to be improved, more digging and wiring done, and patrols sent out.’ He later added that ‘the 2/48th had stirred up a real hornets’ nest.’ On that night alone 9 of the Battalion were killed and 20 wounded in action. Of these 16 were from South Australia and the remainder from Western Australia. Glenn explains they were ‘running into particularly stiff opposition to the west of the Trig point. It was only after hard fighting, with heavy casualties on both sides, that they were able to consolidate on their objective. Gradually the platoon, small in number to start with, was being whittled away and those remaining were being forced to go to ground.’ He added ‘At last light on the same front some three hundred enemy troops attacked, and D Company area was swept by small arms fire.’
Back home the November issue of the Chronicle carried an extensive list of the cost to the soldiers involved in Jack’s battalion. SX11130 Pte. Ernest W S. Moore from Nth. Kensington and SX13756 Pte. Edward G. Davis, from Salisbury were killed in action. SX8096 A-Cpl. Henry D. Laughton, from King's Park was listed as Dangerously Wounded. Many others were listed as wounded in action including SX10316 Mjr. Geoffrey S. Edmunds, Toorak; SX9064 Lt. Hugh F. Treloar, Adelaide; SX8402 Pte. Arnold R. Dolan, Renmark; SX6910 Pte. Hoard Major, Woodville; SX6832 Pte. Walter J. Fennell, Berri; SX13701 Pte. Frank M. Lowe, Whyalla; SX7609 Pte. Colin H. Rickard, Penola; SX7411 Pte. Walter H. J. Hay, Murray Bridge; SX7122 Pte. Percival G. Bartholomew, Narrung; SX11828 Pte. Roy H. Winter, Thebarton; SX7242 Pte. P. A. Pfeiffer, Berri; SX7130 Pte. Eric A. Goold, Salisbury; SX6829 L-Cpl. Clement R. P. Billing, Pinnaroo; SX10501 Pte. Hedley K. Bonython, Burnside; SX7591 Cpl. Jack S. Bowers, Unley; SX7666 Pte. Eric J. Chuck, Kalangadoo; SX8810 Pte. Havard (Howard) R. Crabb, Whyalla; SX13683 Pte. Sydney L. Farrell Broken Hill: SX7657 Pte. Myers A. Geraghy, Pt . Macdonnell; SX7266 Sgt. Neil Gilchrist, Balaklava; SX9376 Pte. Harold H. Gogel, Moorook; SX11131 Pte. H. N. Headon, Adelaide; SX7642 Pte Donald J. Kerin, Burra; SX8837 Pte. Edgar V. W. Lynch, Adelaide; SX9445 Pte. Lawerence H. Mickan, Cummins; SX7025 A-L/Cpl. Paul B. Morrissey King's Park; SX9530 Pte. David R. Munn, Colonel Light Gardens: SX5030 Pte. Eric R. Olds, Adelaide; SX8239 Pte. Colin R. Parsons, Minlaton; SX8904 Pte. Keith Player, Warooka; SX6915 Cpl. Glyn H. Pope, Cheltenham; SX13012 Pte. Jack Ralla, Brompton; SX7410 Cpl. Robert F. G. Ranford, Davington; SX14283 Pte. John D Seebohm, Tantanoola; SX11302 Pte. Walter Sharp, Magill; SX7206 Pte. Ronald. C. Smith, Helmsdale; SX6894 Pte. Thomas V. Trish, Mile End; SX7221 Pte. William H. Vivian, Albert Park; SX7689 Pte. John E. Wakeman, Robe; SX11160 Pte. Samuel E. Welsh, Adelaide and SX7808 Sgt, Jack K. Weston, Appila.
The remains of the 2/48th were able to return to Australia via Melbourne at the start of February ‘43, however, Jack was still placed on the seriously ill list at the conclusion of that month The Chronicle at the time placed him and Private Bernard Hoffman, SX7015 from Walkerville and five others from the 2/10th Battalion on this listing. whilst over February, Jack continued to rally with his condition optimistically described as ‘improving’. By March ’43 Jack was on the 2/2 Hospital ship and heading to Australia. Over a week later he had arrived in Freemantle, Western Australia where his paraplegia was confirmed. From there he sailed to Melbourne and was briefly transferred to the Heidelberg Military Hospital, which had opened in March ’41. It was known for its care of critically wounded troops and for its innovative treatment of war injuries.
A week later, Jack was returned home to South Australia, spending considerable time in the Repatriation Hospital at Daws Road before he was discharged on the 12th November ‘43.
Jack returned to study at Muirden College, gaining outstanding results in 1950, taking out the award for Maths, Physics and Chemistry and topping the Leaving Class Term examinations. These were lauded in the December issue of the Advertiser; “Mr. Jack Bowers, a severely incapacitated returned soldier. Has topped the Leaving class with an 80 p.c. average In both second and third terms. With wonderful courage, confined as he is to a wheel chair, he hopes to commence the science course next year at the University. Our best wishes go with him on a task for which he has both the ability and the will to be successful.” When the final results were published in January the following year, the Advertiser again reported on Jack’s success (but in a politically incorrect and insensitive manner). “Disabled Man's Exam Success Incapacitated ex-soldier Jack S. Bowers, of South road, Melrose Park, passed in five subjects, gaining three credits, in the Leaving examination. Now 30, Mr. Bowers had been away from academic studies for more than 12 years when he began a Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme course at Muirden College last April. He travels to the college daily in a taxi. He studied five subjects, including practical physics and chemistry, and gained credits in English, Maths II and Chemistry. The principal of Muirden College (Mr. H. R. Muirden) said it was an outstanding result, especially as Mr. Bower had studied only since April.”
The following year, Jack’s mother, Elma, died on the 24th December ’52, with the Advertiser carrying the notice the following day. “BOWERS. — On December 24. Elma Phlllippa. dearly loved wife of the late Thomas Bowers, loving mother of Jack and sister of Myrtle. Hedley and Frank. Aged 66 years. At rest.” She was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery.
In May ’67 Jack posthumously applied for his father’s Anzac Medal, believing that Thomas was entitled to this.
Just two years later, Jack died on the 18th June ’69. A plaque honouring his service is at the Centennial Park Tranquility Wall 73/E009 .
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.