´óÏó´«Ã½

Ernest Victor Bowdery was born on 30th December 1918. His middle name was given to him because he was born after the Victory of the first World War.

When Ernest (everyone who new him called him Ernie) was eighteen the government brought out the’Militia’ which meant you had to go into the army for six months and then you came out as a fully trained soldier in case the Second World War started. Ernie didn’t go but his friend George went in for six months and did not come out again until after the end of the War because it started while he was doing his training. Ernie had two older brothers who did not have to go to War as they worked in their father’s newly started foundry making parts for aircrafts for the War effort. Ernie was not able to avoid call up because he was the right age.

When Ernie was called up he went to Dorset to complete his basic training, and afterwards was posted to various different places over the south of England in preparation for the War. He said he was never posted with the same people as they did not want them to make friends, is case they were killed. He was a private in the Dorchester Regiment, but hardly any of the soldiers came from Dorset.

He was eventually posted to St Margaret’s Bay in Kent, next to Dover. The unit’s main task was to fire with their anti-aircraft guns at the planes coming over to bomb England. One particular day Ernie’s unit was on the beach having breakfast, when the cliffs above them had a direct hit. Shrapnel fell onto the beach below. There was a gun called ‘The Big Bertha’ that could fire across the channel from France and it was aimed towards Dover. This day it hit St. Margaret’s Bay instead. Ernie caught a piece of shrapnel in his neck just missing his jugular vein. As blood gushed from his wounded neck, his soldier buddies lifted him onto a stretcher and the commanding officer gave orders that Ernie should be taken quickly to Dover Castle where there was an underground hospital.

After an emergency operation on his neck at the underground hospital, Ernie was transferred to the East Grinstead Hospital, Burns Unit where a pioneering Canadian surgeon (Sir Archibald McIndoe) was performing a new technique called plastic surgery. He mainly operated on pilots shot down from their aeroplanes (often after the plans had caught fire). Ernie was to stay eighteen months at this hospital and undergo eight operations. He had his jaw wired up for about eight months and ate only sloppy food sucked through his teeth, Eventually he was discharged from the hospital and finally demobbed from the Army.

He had married Elsie May Scammell on 23rd March 1940 after obtaining three days compassionate leave. By the end of that year he was wounded and in East Grinstead hospital. He saw many pilots and soldiers from Dunkirk who he considered were much worse off that he was. After the War he just got on with his life. Sir Archibald McIndoe said he could go back after the War for more plastic surgery but Ernie never did.

He and Elsie had four children three girls and a boy and now spends his time visiting them and his grandchildren. Elsie died in 1996.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.