2nd Class Marksman qualification badge: Petty Officer Herbert Leonard Bowden, Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train

Red embroidered qualification badge on dark blue serge showing crossed rifles indicating a 2nd class marksman.

2nd Class Marksman qualification badge worn by 167 Petty Officer Herbert Leonard Bowden of the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train, in 1915, on active service.

Herbert Leonard Bowden was born in Kingswood, South Australia on 7 June 1893 and was working as a draper when he enlisted in RAN Bridging Train in March 1915, aged 21. He had previously served in the naval reserve. He embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT Port Macquarie on 4 June.

Arriving at Lemnos in late July 1915, he served with his unit on Gallipoli from early August, building pontoon piers, maintaining harbour facilities and landing stores. Later they installed and supplied water tanks. Other responsibilities included salvaging of wrecked ships and at the end of the campiagn, constructing embarkation piers for the evacuation.

Post Gallipoli, the Bridging Train was involved through almost all of 1916 in the Suez Canal Zone in operating various 'swinging' pontoon bridges in use there at that time. Originally ranked as an able seaman driver, Bowden was promoted to leading seaman in February 1916, and to petty officer a month later.


Petty Officer Bowden was transferred to El Arish in Egypt between December 1916 and the end of March 1917, involved in the establishment of a landing pier (under fire from the Turks) in mined waters off El Arish. The Bridging Train was disbanded in May 1917. Bowden returned to Australia with his unit aboard HMAT Bulla. He was discharged from service on 24 July 1917. Bowden died in October 1919, from tuberculosis contracted as a result of his wartime service.