Maurice Bowker was born on 18
May 1925 in Hyde, Cheshire – pre-war he worked as a
Warehouseman at Lancashire Felt, and lived in Denton,
Lancashire. Prior to his enlistment Maurice was a member of
the Air Training Corps. He enlisted in the RAF on 14 July
1943 at No 8 Recruit Centre in Edinburgh, and was trained as
an Armament Assistant. Maurice has a twin sister, Muriel,
who served in the WAAF at RAF Abingdon, Berkshire, and three
brothers Eric, Kenneth who also served in the RAF, and
Albert. His brothers and sister now all live in Canada.
After trade training he served in 3012 Servicing Echelon,
which became 6350 Servicing Echelon, as an Armament
Assistant, with 350 (Belgian) Squadron at different RAF
airfields around the UK – which can be found at
http://www.350sqn.be/airfields.html - by late 1944 the
squadron, which had been held back in the UK by the bad
weather in Belgium, was due to move to the continent in
early December, and, in advance of the squadrons move, 6350
Servicing Echelon moved to the continent in late November.
Maurice landed at Ostend,
Belgium on 19 November 1944, and proceeded to join 350 (Belgian)
Squadron in Brussels when they flew in to B.56 Evere on 3
December, with a move to Y.32 Ophoven/Zwartberg on 29
December, further moves were to B.64 Diest in Belgium, then
in to Holland to B.78 Eindhoven and then to B.106
Twente/Enschede.
On 12 April 1945 he moved in
to Germany to B.118 Celle (near to Hannover and the Belsen-Bergen
Concentration camp). When 125 Wing, in which 350 (Belgian)
Squadron served, moved to Denmark in May 1945 350 (Belgian)
Squadron moved to B.152 Fassberg, and then to B.172 Husum in
June when 125 Wing came back to Germany. When 125 Wing
disbanded in July 1945 350 (Belgian) Squadron moved to B.116
Wunstorf and then back to B.152 Fassberg again.
Maurice returned to the UK
in January 1946 and was posted to No. 12 School of Technical
Training at RAF Melksham, Wiltshire – then to No. 2
Personnel Despatch Centre at Morecambe, Lancashire this
resulted in a posting back to Germany to No. 3 Base Recovery
Unit (which became No. 1, Base Repair and Salvage Unit) as a
Motor Transport driver at RAF Uetersen, recovering damaged
aircraft in Germany and Denmark, returning to the UK to No.
101 Personnel Despatch Centre at Warton, Lancashire, he was
discharged from the RAF on 25 June 1947.
Maurice married Beatrice
Smith on 23 March 1946 in Denton, Lancashire, and he
continued to live in the Denton area. They had met when
Maurice was a warehouseman, prior to joining the RAF, it was
at a company called Lancashire Felt. Denton was big on the
manufacture of hatting, hence the numerous felt works, also
working there was Muriel, his twin, and a girl called Ada
Smith, who was one of Beatrice’s three other sisters, she
also had two brothers. Through their two mutual third
parties a date was arranged. This resulted in a trip to the
Odeon cinema at Guide Bridge and the rest as they say is
history, as they later had three children (Linda, Graham &
Kevin), six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
As a former Motor Transport
driver his RAF service and release book said "He is a
careful and conscientious driver and is strongly recommended
for this type of employment in civilian life", and that is
just what Maurice did. He earned his living as a HGV driver,
working for different company’s delivering bread for a good
portion of his working life with Moore’s Luxury loaf which
became Mothers Pride. He also worked for Hazel Grove Music
delivering pool tables and finally Crusader, a furniture
store, and this was delivering 3 piece suites. When Maurice
was not working his major interest was family activities
with regular trips to Ainsdale beach, trips to the cinema
and other outings so, as his son Graham advises “I suppose
you could say dad's hobby is and was his family . In the
latter years as we grew up mum and dad did go on walking
holidays to Austria etc.” Sadly Beatrice passed away on 27
March 1982 and Maurice, now aged 85, lives at Greatwood
House Care Home in Haughton Green, this is only just outside
of Denton.
(Biography supplied by
Karen and Graham Bowker and written by Allan Hillman) |
