Trafford

Born at Ashton upon Mersey R.D. - March Qtr 1907 - ref: 8a/185, the son of
Percy Charles & Edith Helena Bowerman (nee Worrell).

1911 Census - 22 Dunbar Lane, Ashton upon Mersey.  Son - aged: 5 - born:
Ashton upon Mersey.   Also listed - Percy Charles Bowerman - aged: 34 -
occ: Hotel Decorator - born: Eynsham, Oxfordshire.    Plus his wife - Edith
Helena Bowerman - aged: 31 - born: Newport, Shropshire.   Plus their
daughter - Ina Bowerman - aged: 4 - born: Ashton upon Mersey.  Plus Edith's
sister - Louisa Worrall - aged: 28 - no occupation - born: Newport,
Shropshire.

Edmund married Gertrude Nuttall at the Stretford Congregational Church in
Sep Qtr 1928 - ref: 8c/1602.

According to Edmund's son - Jack Bowerman:-

"German Raiders were flying in from the east towards Liverpool (Liverpool
Blitz 1st to 7th May 1941) when one of the Bombers got caught in local
searchlights and dropped all his bombs to make height to get out of the
beam - a stick of six as I understand. The first hit somewhere in Chorlton
the next got Firswood (Wilton Avenue Area) the third got 17/19 Gorse
Crescent. the fourth hit Chester Road Stretford (as I remember, in the
Chester Road opposite  The Wesleyan Chapel. If it wasn't that one, it was
one that fell on the Lonsdale Street area and the fifth was in Metro's
somewhere.
 
There were six men involved in the Gorse Crescent incident - my father,
Jack Bowerman - Dick Roocroft - Frank Bosworth - Joe Taylor, and two more,
who's names I can't remember.

The Air Raid Shelter was made of ordinary House Bricks it was about the
size of a Medium Garden Shed and had a Brick Blast Wall along the front,
across the doors there were two entrances to the shelter, one at either end
of the Blast Wall. Just before the bomb struck (which the men heard coming
down) they ran for shelter, three men at each end.
The blast blew the three men out of the shelter and blew the other three
into it. Those that were blown out were Jack Bowerman, Dick Roocroft, and
Frank Bosworth. A Piece of brick penetrated his steel Helmet and Brain. The
hospital told My Mother that it was a good thing that he had died because
his brain had been scrambled and the he would have been just a "Cabbage" if
he'd lived. I didn't know at the time but my Mother was pregnant at the
time but the shock was too much and she lost the baby (a Girl I'm told)."

He actually died at Withington Hospital on the 3rd, from injuries sustained
on the 2nd May at 11 Gorse Cres.    Death registered in Manchester City. 
Buried at Sale (Brooklands) Cemetery Section AD - Grave No. 32.

See also the Stretford database.