Richard William Dowell
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 22 Nov 1920 |
| Place of Birth | Subiaco, Western Australia |
| Death | 16 Jan 2006, aged 85 |
| Place of Death | Maddington, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 20 years, 4 months |
| Religion | Brethren |
| Address | Bedfordale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Wife , Mrs Dorothy May Dowell |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | W90288 |
| Date of Enlistment | 6 Mar 1941 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 20th Australian Employment Company |
| Post War Details | |
| Fate | Remained in Australia |
Pre War
During 1943 Richard married Dorothy May Denton. Dorothy died in Gosnells on 19 Aug 2007, aged 81.
War Service
discharged 12 Nov 1945
Post War
Electoral Roll entries: 1949 - 1954 at Albany highway, Bedfordale, gardener and orchardist; 1977 at 35 Marian avenue, Armadale, labourer.
Notes
During the period 1939 - 1945 some unit names changed more than once. In the case of Australian Employment Companies they were also known as Works Companies, Labour Companies, Labour Units, Labour Corps. For sake of consistency I have adopted the term Employment Company. The role they played did not change with title. They were established to ensure that the Australian Defence Force had a large force of soldiers dedicated to essential labouring tasks, providing the physical labour needed to maintain the war effort and support the fighting forces.
Of the total of 39 Companies, 11 were part or fully manned by non British citizens known then as 'aliens'. These alien companies were not issued with arms. The 20th Company was not one of them.