William 'Bill' Bowyer

This photograph is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Tracey van Oeffelen  of the 11th Armoured Division Facebook Group and its Black Bull Research Team.

Remembering William 'Bill' Bowyer, Killed in Action, 6th June 1944.

The Uxbridge & West Drayton Gazette published an obituary for him on the 7th July 1944 which gives us information about him. He was known as Bill and prior to joining up he had worked in the advertising staff of the newspaper. It seems he was a talented musician, having been head soloist as a chorister at Eton. He also played the violin and the cornet and was a member of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Silver Prize Band.

He enlisted in 1940, joining the Duke of Cornwalls' Light Infantry as a private. He secured a commission in 1941 and got married to Miss Valentine Lynch of St Stephen's Road Yiewsley in June 1941. He volunteered to join the Parachute Regiment in April 1943. His last letter home was on the 4th June where he talked about a concert that had been arranged for that evening in which he would be part of the band.