The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (SX442) Private Douglas Arthur Bowman, 2/10th Battalion, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (SX442) Private Douglas Arthur Bowman, 2/10th Battalion, Second World War.

SX442 Private Douglas Arthur Bowman, 2/10th Battalion
KIA 28 December 1942

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Douglas Arthur Bowman.

Douglas Arthur Bowman, known as “Dougie” to his family and friends, was born on 25 July 1916 to Martha and John Bowman of Gulnare, South Australia. Bowman attended the local Gulnare Primary School and later worked as a farmer. He was a popular member of the local community, described as being “highly esteemed by a large circle of friends”.

Bowman enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in October 1939, just weeks after the outbreak of the Second World War. In November, he joined the 2/10 Infantry Battalion. With this unit he trained at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills, and then in New South Wales.

On 5 May 1940, Bowman and the 2/10th Battalion embarked from Sydney, destined for the war in the Middle East. However, following the fall of France, they were redirected to the United Kingdom, where they were to bolster defences in case of a German invasion.

In November, they transferred to North Africa and arrived at Tobruk in April, just days before the important port came under heavy German attack and eventually an eight-month long siege.
The besieged Allied troops at Tobruk survived in appalling conditions under consistent German attack. One of Bowman’s comrades described him as “a great mate under such trying conditions in Tobruk. On very light dry rations, not enough water to drink, no wash or shave for several weeks, to put up with such conditions, such great mates as Doug Bowman helps a lot.” On 17 July 1941 Bowman was severely wounded by a gunshot wound to both of his legs, and was evacuated to hospital. He did not rejoin his unit until October.

In early 1942, Bowman and his unit transferred from the Middle East and North Africa to Papua New Guinea, eventually arriving at Milne Bay on the south-eastern tip of the New Guinea mainland. On 25 August, Japanese forces launched a large amphibious assault at Milne Bay in an attempt to establish a base from which to support an overland attack on Port Moresby.
Bowman’s 2/10th Battalion, newly arrived from the desert fighting conditions of North Africa, were understrength and ill-equipped for the humid and rainy jungle conditions. Bowman helped to operate a Bren machine-gun in this battle, and during the attack by Japanese marines, aided by light tanks, he received a gunshot wound to his right arm. Despite his injury, he led a group of Australian soldiers as they sought to get back to the Allied base and avoid enemy patrols. Michael O’Brien, who fought with Bowman at Milne Bay, later wrote:
[Bowman] was one of those tough wiry mates worth a dozen of some men, a great mate in a tight corner. We had a rough four days’ trip back to Milne Bay – if we could have gone back the way we had come it would have been less than four hours. We climbed a steep mountain – this climbing used up a lot of our energy, our legs dragged like weights of lead.

They did eventually reach safety, and Bowman went to hospital for treatment for the gunshot wound he had sustained days before. His injuries were so severe that he was sent to hospital in Queensland, and did not return to the war until November 1942. While in Australia, Bowman escaped from hospital and attempted to visit his sick mother in South Australia. He was caught by the military police and fined for being away without leave.

In September 1942 Bowman wrote to his mother about the incident. He also stated: “Lindsay asks how I manage to have so many narrow escapes, but I don’t think I can find a suitable answer. Perhaps it is because only good men die young.” Almost three months later, at the age of 26, Private Bowman was killed in action as the 2/10th Battalion attacked Japanese forces at Buna, a village on the north coast of New Guinea.

He now lies in the Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, where his gravestone reads: “His duty nobly done”.
His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among some 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Douglas Arthur Bowman, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section