Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BOWMAN MEDALS

Date Range From

1939

Date Range To

1945

Materials

BRASS, SILVER, RIBBONS

No. Pieces

1

Length

9.9

Width

4.8

Description

SET OF 6 MINIATURE MILITARY MEDALS & RIBBONS INCLUDES LEFT TO RIGHT: MEMBER OF BRITISH EMPIRE (M.B.E.), 1939-1945 STAR, FRANCE AND GERMANY STAR, DEFENCE MEDAL, VOLUNTEER MEDAL, 1939-1945 GEO. VI MEDAL. TARNISHED, WORN. SEE CONSERVATION REPORT.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

MILITARY

History

MINIATURES ARE WORN WITH MESS KIT IN PLACE OF FULL SIZE MEDALS. 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), WHO DONATED THEM TO THE GALT IN 1991. 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 OF P20050001000-GA FOR COPIES OF RELATED DOCUMENTS AND A PHOTO OF BOWMAN RECEIVING THE MBE (ORIGINAL ACQUIRED BY GALT ARCHIVES IN 2005).

Catalogue Number

P19910073000

Acquisition Date

1991-09

Collection

Museum

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