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Auction: 19001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 887

Five: Temporary Sub-Lieutenant W. S. Bowser, Fleet Air Arm

1939-45 Star; France and Germany Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, unnamed as issued, good very fine (5)

Provenance: Spink, 30 November 1983.

William Smith Bowser was born on 3 January 1910 at Ipswich, and worked as a news editor for the Daily Express prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. He initially served as Air Mechanic 2nd Class at H.M.S. Gosling, the Fleet Air Arm training establishment at Risley, from 11 January 1943, before transferring to the Pay Office and working as a Writer. Serving variously at Victory, Landrail, Attacker, St. Angelo, Ajax and Pembroke, he was promoted to Temporary Sub-Lieutenant on 22 November 1944.

Bowser died in London in 1960, having enjoyed a post-war career as a news executive in charge of the readers' letters department; sold with original Certificate of Service and Writer history sheet, a photograph of the recipient, 22 press photographs - many displaying the result of kamikaze attacks on British ships in the Pacific and the surrender of Japanese forces, and private research on the Bowser family who originated from Yorkshire.


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Sold for
£60