Peter Bowling
Encyclopedia
Peter Bowling was an Australian coalminer and trade unionist.
Bowling was born at Dunfermline
in Fifeshire to miner Peter Bowling and Marguerite, née MacGuire. He started working in the mines at the age of twelve and migrated to New South Wales
when he was 20, working around Newcastle
. He married Mary Ann Madden at Branxton
on 5 September 1889. He worked in Gippsland
in the 1890s, where he was involved in founding a miners' union, but returned to New South Wales and in 1893 was elected as an official of the Back Creek miners' lodge. He joined the Australian Socialist League in 1897 and was influenced by the Industrial Workers of the World
, supporting direct action and strong unions. Appointed treasurer of the Colliery Employees' Federation, a northern union, in 1904 and president in 1906–10, he was influential in uniting the northern, western and southern unions as the Coal and Shale Employees' Federation in 1908.
Bowling was a militant socialist and supported confrontation against the mine owners, calling for a general strike which eventuated in November 1909. Supporting radical action against the calls for moderation from his fellow mining representative Billy Hughes
, Bowling was arrested for conspiracy in Newcastle on 4 December and later physically attacked Hughes while out on bail. He was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment in Goulburn Gaol
; the strike ended in defeat in March 1910. Despite this apparent failure, Bowling was used in the Labor campaign for the 1910 state election, appearing on posters in leg-irons; Labor won government for the first time in New South Wales in that election. After his release Bowling visited New Zealand
, during which time he lost his union presidency; he subsequently worked in a colliery in Balmain
and the abattoir at Homebush
. Initially an anti-conscription
ist, he switched to the conscriptionist camp in 1917.
During the 1920s Bowling worked on the Sydney wharves before retiring. He died of cerebral arteriosclerosis in 1942 at Sacred Heart Hospice in Darlinghurst
.
Bowling was born at Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
in Fifeshire to miner Peter Bowling and Marguerite, née MacGuire. He started working in the mines at the age of twelve and migrated to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
when he was 20, working around Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. He married Mary Ann Madden at Branxton
Branxton, New South Wales
Branxton is a town in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. Branxton is north of Sydney via the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway and New England Highway.Branxton is located mostly in Cessnock City Council, but part of it is in Singleton Shire...
on 5 September 1889. He worked in Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
in the 1890s, where he was involved in founding a miners' union, but returned to New South Wales and in 1893 was elected as an official of the Back Creek miners' lodge. He joined the Australian Socialist League in 1897 and was influenced by the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, supporting direct action and strong unions. Appointed treasurer of the Colliery Employees' Federation, a northern union, in 1904 and president in 1906–10, he was influential in uniting the northern, western and southern unions as the Coal and Shale Employees' Federation in 1908.
Bowling was a militant socialist and supported confrontation against the mine owners, calling for a general strike which eventuated in November 1909. Supporting radical action against the calls for moderation from his fellow mining representative Billy Hughes
Billy Hughes
William Morris "Billy" Hughes, CH, KC, MHR , Australian politician, was the seventh Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923....
, Bowling was arrested for conspiracy in Newcastle on 4 December and later physically attacked Hughes while out on bail. He was sentenced to two and a half years' imprisonment in Goulburn Gaol
Goulburn Correctional Centre
The Goulburn Correctional Centre is an Australian maximum and 'Super Maximum' security male prison located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia....
; the strike ended in defeat in March 1910. Despite this apparent failure, Bowling was used in the Labor campaign for the 1910 state election, appearing on posters in leg-irons; Labor won government for the first time in New South Wales in that election. After his release Bowling visited New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, during which time he lost his union presidency; he subsequently worked in a colliery in Balmain
Balmain, New South Wales
Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....
and the abattoir at Homebush
Homebush, New South Wales
Homebush is an inner western suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Homebush is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. Homebush West and Homebush Bay are separate suburbs...
. Initially an anti-conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
ist, he switched to the conscriptionist camp in 1917.
During the 1920s Bowling worked on the Sydney wharves before retiring. He died of cerebral arteriosclerosis in 1942 at Sacred Heart Hospice in Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
.