Bowman, Thomas Harold (Lieutenant, b.1914 - d. 1942) Accession Number: AWM2020.541.1

Description

Collection relating to the Second World War service of SX9327 Lieutenant Thomas Harold Bowman, 2/48 Australian Infantry Battalion, Palestine and Egypt, 1941-1942.

The collection consists of correspondence, documents, postcards and photographs related to Bowman's family life, service in North Africa and the Middle East, and death in the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Wallet 1 of 12 - Consist of one folder containing letters by Bowman to his girlfriend (and later wife) Mary, including six letters written in 1940 and nine letters and two telegrams from January to April 1941, whilst Bowman was posted to the army camp at Bonegilla, and one Albury Anzac Day service leaflet from 1941. Bowman writes of his desire to marry Mary, leave in Melbourne, training including map-reading, field engineering and study for entrance exams at Bonegilla, exploration of Albury, enquires into Mary’s welfare and daily life, and provides updates on the welfare of family friend Ted Bill, who was serving with Bowman.

Wallet 2 of 12 – Consists of one folder containing 24 letters and three telegrams by Bowman to his wife Mary, written during the period September to December 1941. Bowman’s letters are numbered in a sequence and document his service overseas, including embarkation and voyage from Australia to the Middle East, descriptions of the conditions and food, his duties including censoring letters, commanding officers, arrival and impressions of conditions and landscapes of Palestine, war casualties and Christmas leave, and travel in Jerusalem.

Wallet 3 of 12 – Consists of one folder containing 32 telegrams and letters by Bowman to his wife Mary written during the period January to April 1942. Bowman discusses recreational activities whilst in Palestine including visits to the nearby Trappist Monastery, leave in Tel Aviv, and attending the cinema, alongside descriptions of the weather, camp conditions and training in the desert including physical exercises and examination of Turkish trenches. Bowman's letters also document the sending and receiving of parcels to and from Mary, alongside anecdotes and memories of his life with Mary prior to his war service and his anticipation for their reunion.

Wallet 4 of 12 – Consists of one folder containing 23 letters by Bowman to his wife Mary, written during the period May to July 1942. The letters include Bowman's reflections on fatherhood and his daughter Meredith, his impressions of Syria and Syrians, descriptions of the landscape, daily life in Egypt, conditions and fighting in the desert, and reflections on the war effort and his role as a Duty Officer.

Wallet 5 of 12 – Consists of one folder containing 20 telegrams and letters by Bowman to his wife Mary, including one letter addressed to family friends Stella and Bert, written during the period September to October 1942. The letters include Bowman's observations of aerial dog fights, the front and shelling in Egypt, attendance of church services, domestic life with Mary and Meredith, and leave in Cairo and Syria.

Wallet 6 of 12 – Consists of one folder of 40 letters written by Mary to Bowman, including two letters from 1940 and 38 letters written during the period August to November 1942. Mary’s letters include one from the eve of their wedding, daily life with Meredith and updates on her development, discussion of the war effort and casualties, Bowman's welfare and of family and friends including Bowman's parents, house maintenance and renovations, and memories of life with Bowman. Mary’s letters to Bowman from late October to November contain her distress at losing contact with Bowman and express her grief that he may be missing or killed.

Wallet 7 of 12 - Consists of one folder containing 44 items including telegrams and letters of personal correspondence and sympathy written by family, friends and military personnel to Mary during the period July to December 1942. The letters include enquiries as to Mary’s welfare, daily life, updates and news of Meredith, reflections on the war effort, news of Bowman, correspondence with and about the Australian Red Cross Society regarding the report of Bowman declared as missing and letters of sympathy from military personnel including Lieutenant Colonel H.H. Hammer outlining the circumstances of Bowman's wounds in the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 and recount of the search undertaken by the 2/48th Battalion to recover Bowman's grave.

Wallet 8 of 12 – Consists of two folders of documents and correspondence. Folder 1 contains 35 items including telegrams and letters of sympathy written by family and friends addressed to Mary in December 1943, after Bowman was declared missing in action and presumed killed on 26 October 1942. Folder 2 contains 21 items including sympathy cards by family and friends during the period 1942 and 1943. The letters include expressions of condolence, enquiries into Mary’s and Meredith’s welfare, and enquires related to Bowman’s discovery, scenes of daily life and correspondence about and with the Australian Red Cross Society regarding the search for Bowman.

Wallet 9 of 12 – Consists of one folder containing 34 items including telegrams and letters of sympathy during the period January to October 1943, and three letters dated between 1944 and 1946. The letters include expressions of condolence and enquiries into Mary’s and Meredith’s welfare. The letters include one by Chaplain B.C. Archbold, describing how Bowman was wounded at El Alamein and the efforts of the 2/48th Battalion to recover his grave, and three letters from Lieutenant Edward Howard Egerton-Warburton that enquire into Mary's welfare and contain his reflections on his relationship with Bowman.

Wallet 10 of 12 – Consists of one folder containing 20 letters and 46 telegrams written by family and friends to Mary and Bowman to congratulate them on their marriage on 16 November 1940.

Wallet 11 of 12 – Consists of one folder containing 49 items including telegrams, cards and letters written by family and friends to Mary in the period April to June 1942 to congratulate her on the birth of her daughter Meredith.

Wallet 12 of 12 – Consists of two folders of photographs, postcards and miscellaneous ephemera. Folder 1 contains 15 photographic negatives, 24 photographs, four photographic tourist postcards and three envelopes. The vernacular photographs contain portraits of Meredith Bowman as a baby, portraits of Meredith with her mother Mary, family portraits and landscapes. One of the undated photographic postcards contains an original handwritten message from Meredith Bowman to her family during her visit to the Victorian Grampian Mountain range. Folder 2 contains 11 items from the period 1941 to 1943, including Bowman’s South Australian Pistol License, receipts for tailoring, stationary, photographs, one blank illustrated card and envelope from Egypt, and newspaper clippings.

Details

Conflicts

• Second World War, 1939-1945

Events

• Battles of El Alamein

Units

• 2/48th Australian Infantry Battalion

Tags

• Letters of condolence
• War widows
• Bonegilla Training Camp