Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MEDAL GROUPING

Date

1945

Materials

SILVER, BRASS, RIBBON

No. Pieces

1

Length

17.1

Width

9.5

Description

SIX MEDAL GROUPING ON RIBBONS ATTACHED TO A STEEL BAR WITH PIN. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: 1. M.B.E. - MEMBER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. SILVER MEDAL WITH "FOR GOD AND THE EMPIRE" ON THE FRONT AND "GRJ" IN SCRIPT ON THE BACK. ON A RED AND GREY RIBBON. 2. 1939-45 STAR. BRASS STAR SHAPED MEDAL WITH "GRJ VI THE 1939-1945 STAR" ON THE FRONT. ON A DARK BLUE, RED, LIGHT BLUE RIBBON. 3. FRANCE & GERMANY STAR. BRASS STAR SHAPED MEDAL WITH "GRJ VI THE FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR" ON THE FRONT. ON A BLUE, WHITE AND RED RIBBON. 4. DEFENCE MEDAL. ROUND SILVER MEDAL WITH "1939 1945 THE DEFENCE MEDAL" ON FRONT AND "GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR. OMN:REX F:D:IND:IMP." ON BACK. ON A GREEN, BLACK AND ORANGE RIBBON. 5. CANADIAN VOLUNTARY SERVICE MEDAL. ROUND SILVER MEDAL WITH "1939 CANADA 1945 VOLUNTARY SERVICE VOLONTAIRE" ON BACK. ON A GREEN, RED AND BLUE RIBBON WITH A BRASS OVERSEAS BAR ACROSS IT - BAR HAS A MAPLE LEAF IN CENTRE. 6. WAR MEDAL. ROUND SILVER MEDAL WITH "1939 1945" ON FRONT AND "GEORGIVS VI G:BR:OMN:REX ET INDIAE IMP:" ON BACK. ON RED, BLUE, AND WHITE RIBBON.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

MEDAL GROUPING BELONGED TO UNCLE OF THE DONOR, RONALD FRASER PATRICK "PADDY" BOWMAN. R.F.P. BOWMAN WAS BORN IN LETHBRIDGE MARCH 17, 1904 TO PIONEER LETHBRIDGE SETTLERS CHARLES BROUGHTON BOWMAN AND HIS WIFE. C.B. BOWMAN CAME TO CANADA FROM SCOTLAND IN 1889 AND HIS WIFE ARRIVED IN 1896. C.B. BOWMAN WAS A CITY ALDERMAN, SCHOOL BOARD SECRETARY, AND REAL ESTATE AGENT IN LETHBRIDGE UNTIL HE RETIRED IN 1936, WHEN HE AND HIS WIFE, A FORMER NURSE IN THE GALT HOSPITAL, TOOK UP RESIDENCE ON THE WEST COAST. BECAUSE HE WAS BORN ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY, RONALD FRASER BOWMAN WAS CALLED "PADDY" FROM THE FIRST DAY OF HIS LIFE. AROUND HIS EARLY TWENTIES HE INCORPORATED "PATRICK" INTO HIS NAME. R.F.P. BOWMAN WAS EDUCATED IN LETHBRIDGE AND GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA WITH A DEGREE IN CIVIL ENGINEERING IN 1928. BOWMAN JOINED THE CPR WHILE IN UNIVERSITY. IN 1926 HE BECAME A TRANSITMAN IN CRANBROOK. HE WAS NEXT POSTED AS TRANSITMAN AT LETHBRIDGE AND WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO EMPRESS AS A ROADMASTER. FROM THERE HE WENT TO ALDERSYDE IN THE SUMMER OF 1931 AND TO LETHBRIDGE IN OCTOBER, 1933. GRADUATE OF THE CANADIAN OFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS, HE ENLISTED WITH THE ROYAL CANADIAN ENGINEERS AS A LIEUTENANT IN JUNE, 1940. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 10TH FIELD SQUADRON, RCE, POSTED IN EUROPE AND WAS LATER PROMOTED TO CAPTAIN. WHILE A STAFF OFFICER AT HEADQUARTERS OF THE 5TH CANADIAN ARMORED DIVISION HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF MAJOR. HE LATER BECAME THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE NO. 2 CANADIAN RAILWAY OPERATING COMPANY INVOLVED IN THE OPERATION OF RAILWAYS IN CONNECTION WITH THE ALLIED WAR EFFORT. MR. BOWMAN WAS ON GENERAL MONTGOMERY'S PLANNING STAFF FOR 6 MONTHS BEFORE D-DAY, SERVING IN THE CAPACITY OF TRANSPORTATION INTELLIGENCE. HE THEN WENT OVER WITH AN ADVANCE PARTY TO HELP SET UP GENERAL MONTGOMERY'S ADMINISTRATIVE HEADQUARTERS IN NORMANDY. HE WAS LATER ASSIGNED TO CANADIAN ARMY HEADQUARTERS AS A STAFF OFFICER IN CHARGE OF RAILWAY MATTERS, WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RE-ESTABLISHING RAILWAY OPERATIONS IN THE CANADIAN ARMY'S AREA. MR. BOWMAN WAS APPOINTED A MEMBER OF ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE MARCH 16, 1945, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS MERITORIOUS SERVICES TO THE CROWN. THE AWARD WAS MADE IN CANADA BY GENERAL H.D.G. CRERAR. AFTER THE WAR BOWMAN RETURNED TO RAILROADING, AND WAS MADE DIVISIONAL ENGINEER WITH THE CPR AT BRANDON, WHERE HE REMAINED UNTIL 1949. BOWMAN SPENT 1949 TO 1953 IN MEDICINE HAT AS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF OPERATIONS. HIS NEXT CAREER STEP WAS TO THE PACIFIC GREAT EASTERN (PGE) RAILWAY (B.C. RAILWAY TODAY) FOR 3 YEARS AS GENERAL MANAGER. HE RETURNED TO BRANDON IN 1956 AND FINALLY TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1958 WHERE HE WAS SUPERINTENDENT OF THE CPR'S LETHBRIDGE DIVISION FOR SEVEN YEARS UNTIL HIS RETIRMENT IN 1965. BOWMAN HAD A 40-YEAR CAREER WITH THE CPR. BOWMAN PASSED AWAY JULY 28, 1990 WHEN THE MEDALS WERE PASSED ONTO HIS NEPHEW (DONOR). A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WAS DRAWN UP IN 1991 BETWEEN ALBERT HING, PATRICK LAWRENCE AND THE GALT MUSEUM, WHICH SPECIFIED THAT HING - A MILITARY MEDAL COLLECTOR -WAS TO LAWFULLY POSSESS THE ARTIFACTS UNTIL HIS DEATH OR UNTIL HE ELECTED TO DISPOSE OF HIS COLLECTION. THEREAFTER, THE MEDALS AND ASSOCIATED MATERIALS WERE TO BE DELIVERED TO THE GALT MUSEUM. MEDALS WERE GIVEN TO THE MUSEUM IN 2005. CERTIFICATE OF AWARD, MEMBER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, INCLUDING CITATION, AND A PHOTO OF BOWMAN RECEIVING THE MBE WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE ARCHIVES. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR COPIES OF THESE DOCUMENTS.

Catalogue Number

P20050001000

Acquisition Date

2005-09

Collection

Museum

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