1914-15 Star: Sergeant Warwick Young Bowen, 10 Battalion, AIF

1914-15 Star. Impressed reverse with recipient's details.

3693 Private Warwick Young Bowen enlisted in the AIF on 18 October 1915 at Adelaide, South Australia. He had two years in senior cadets and was serving in the militia as a lieutenant at the time of his enlistment.

Bowen embarked from Adelaide aboard RMS Malwa on 2 December 1915 with 10 Battalion, serving briefly in Egypt before embarking for the Western Front in March 1916. He was promoted a number of times, reaching sergeant in January 1917. He was wounded in the thigh and finger on 17 February and admitted to hospital. He briefly re-joined his unit before he was admitted again in May, this time for shellshock. He re-joined his unit in early June.

In late February 1918, Bowen trained in England before re-joining the 10th Battalion in France in September 1918. In October he was chosen for Infantry Cadet training in England, and commenced his training at 5 Officer Cadet Battalion in Cambridge on 8 November.

On 27 November 1918 after the end of the war, Bowen accidentally drowned when the punt he and his friend were rowing near Kings College sank. Lieutenant William Buyers and his wife were walking past and Buyers jumped into the River Cam attempting to save Bowen, but was unable to. Bowen’s friend was rescued and had not known that Bowen could not swim. To retrieve Bowen’s body, the Cambridge Police lowered the river level. He received a full military funeral and was buried at the Cambridge City Cemetery on 3 December 1918.

His medals were issued to his widowed mother, Helen Bowen, in the 1920s.