Edward Bowden
Memorial: Thornbury & District Museum: 6th Maritime Regiment Memorial
Regiment: 6th Maritime Regiment
Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945
Rank and number: Gunner
Parents: Frank and Sophie Bowden
Home address: 3 Lodge Street, Bristol
Pre-war occupation: Builder's Labourer
Date of birth: 20/10/1921
Date of death: 17/11/1942
Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea and commemorated on Chatham Naval Memorial and the Maritime Memorial Thornbury
Age: 21
Further information:
Edward was the son of a dock worker and one of five children.
At the time of his death, Edward was serving aboard the British Steam Merchant Widestone which was on route from St John’s Canada to Milford Haven in Wales as part of convoy ONS-144. The vessel was carrying a cargo of 3400 tons of coal. At 23.46 hours on 17 Nov 1942, U-boat U-184 fired three single torpedoes at three ships in the convoy, about 500 miles southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland, but only the Widestone was hit and sunk. The master, 34 crew members and seven gunners, including Edward, were lost. There were no survivors.
D. O. D. - incorrectly stated on memorial as 19th November
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/2436.html