When I First Met My Father
My father, Thomas Bowden, joined the Royal Artillery before the war, as No. 922200, Bren Gunner. His first posting was to Iceland Shore Batteries, but he was later recalled to become part of the 53rd Welsh Regiment. Coming from the East End of London, this did not go down well. On his home leave, be...
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ftunivoxfordfig:oai:figshare.com:article/25924165 2024-06-23T07:54:03+00:00 When I First Met My Father Their Finest Hour Project Team 2024-06-05T18:59:45Z https://doi.org/10.25446/oxford.25924165.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/When_I_First_Met_My_Father/25924165 unknown doi:10.25446/oxford.25924165.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/When_I_First_Met_My_Father/25924165 CC BY 4.0 British history European history (excl. British classical Greek and Roman) International history Their Finest Hour World War Two Armed Forces Army Artillery Battle Britain British British Army Dutch Europe European France French Holland Military Netherlands North West Europe Royal Royal Artillery The Netherlands UK United Kingdom Wales Welsh Text Online resource 2024 ftunivoxfordfig https://doi.org/10.25446/oxford.25924165.v1 2024-06-05T23:35:49Z My father, Thomas Bowden, joined the Royal Artillery before the war, as No. 922200, Bren Gunner. His first posting was to Iceland Shore Batteries, but he was later recalled to become part of the 53rd Welsh Regiment. Coming from the East End of London, this did not go down well. On his home leave, before going to join the Welsh Regiment, I remember him coming along our street and him gathering me in his arms, whereupon I noticed the Polar Bear insignia on his tunic sleeve. This was the first time we met. I was three years old, so my mother told me. One day, while shopping, my mother was asked, "Have you heard from Tom?" My mother replied, "No, but I know where he is." On the BBC News, they had reported that the 53rd Welsh were fighting at S'Hertogenbosch, in Holland. I am told that this was the first time a battle had been reported on the BBC radio. My father survived the war, having been wounded twice. He never spoke about his wartime experiences, and would not visit France after the conflict, believing it was still in ruins. Text Iceland Research from University of Oxford Gunner ENVELOPE(169.633,169.633,-83.533,-83.533) |
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Research from University of Oxford |
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ftunivoxfordfig |
language |
unknown |
topic |
British history European history (excl. British classical Greek and Roman) International history Their Finest Hour World War Two Armed Forces Army Artillery Battle Britain British British Army Dutch Europe European France French Holland Military Netherlands North West Europe Royal Royal Artillery The Netherlands UK United Kingdom Wales Welsh |
spellingShingle |
British history European history (excl. British classical Greek and Roman) International history Their Finest Hour World War Two Armed Forces Army Artillery Battle Britain British British Army Dutch Europe European France French Holland Military Netherlands North West Europe Royal Royal Artillery The Netherlands UK United Kingdom Wales Welsh Their Finest Hour Project Team When I First Met My Father |
topic_facet |
British history European history (excl. British classical Greek and Roman) International history Their Finest Hour World War Two Armed Forces Army Artillery Battle Britain British British Army Dutch Europe European France French Holland Military Netherlands North West Europe Royal Royal Artillery The Netherlands UK United Kingdom Wales Welsh |
description |
My father, Thomas Bowden, joined the Royal Artillery before the war, as No. 922200, Bren Gunner. His first posting was to Iceland Shore Batteries, but he was later recalled to become part of the 53rd Welsh Regiment. Coming from the East End of London, this did not go down well. On his home leave, before going to join the Welsh Regiment, I remember him coming along our street and him gathering me in his arms, whereupon I noticed the Polar Bear insignia on his tunic sleeve. This was the first time we met. I was three years old, so my mother told me. One day, while shopping, my mother was asked, "Have you heard from Tom?" My mother replied, "No, but I know where he is." On the BBC News, they had reported that the 53rd Welsh were fighting at S'Hertogenbosch, in Holland. I am told that this was the first time a battle had been reported on the BBC radio. My father survived the war, having been wounded twice. He never spoke about his wartime experiences, and would not visit France after the conflict, believing it was still in ruins. |
format |
Text |
author |
Their Finest Hour Project Team |
author_facet |
Their Finest Hour Project Team |
author_sort |
Their Finest Hour Project Team |
title |
When I First Met My Father |
title_short |
When I First Met My Father |
title_full |
When I First Met My Father |
title_fullStr |
When I First Met My Father |
title_full_unstemmed |
When I First Met My Father |
title_sort |
when i first met my father |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.25446/oxford.25924165.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/When_I_First_Met_My_Father/25924165 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(169.633,169.633,-83.533,-83.533) |
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Gunner |
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Gunner |
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Iceland |
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Iceland |
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doi:10.25446/oxford.25924165.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/online_resource/When_I_First_Met_My_Father/25924165 |
op_rights |
CC BY 4.0 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.25446/oxford.25924165.v1 |
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1802646002244517888 |