Oscar was the youngest son of a well-known Hahndorf family in South Australia. He had served with the voluntary cadets during school and continued afterwards with the Citizens Forces. Keen to do his duty but under the prescribed age, he obtained his parents’ consent to enlist.

Despite being only 19 years old, he was promoted to Lance Sergeant a month after signing up and was promoted to Sergeant on 1st November 1915 just prior to embarking overseas with the 32nd Battalion. It transpired that the troopship which carried Oscar’s battalion, the HMAT A2 Geelong, was making its last voyage as it collided with a supply ship shortly after disembarking the men in Egypt. It sank with no loss of life on New Year’s day in the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria, Egypt.

Oscar’s father, Christian Heinreich Baumann, came to Australia in 1877 on the Peter Godeffroy bound for Port Adelaide. He was aged 27 and his last place of residence is listed as Grevesmühlen, Mecklenburg, a fact confirmed by the German newspaper of the time. His mother Maria Louise nee Temme was born in South Australia in 1859 of German parents.

The Baumann family resided and operated a store at 63 Main Street, Hahndorf – a modern day picture of which is included here.

In her book, 'Hahndorf - A Journey through the Village and its History' [2002], Anni Luur Fox outlines some of the history of the Main street property and of the Baumann family:

And later, the author writes:

It was important to the Baumanns that their children learned to speak English without a German accent. Accordingly, the Baumann children went to the Hahndorf Public School. During the war, there was strong anti-German sentiment with almost forty Lutheran schools closed and German-language classes banned. The town of Hahndorf itself was renamed Ambleside to avoid persecution. Oscar’s eldest brother Christian (Henry) changed his name to Bowman in 1915, and Walter anglicised his name to Bowman in 1941 . Oscar’s brother Walter even anglicised his name to Bowman in later years. During the war, there was strong anti-German sentiment with almost forty Lutheran schools closed and German-language classes banned. The town of Hahndorf itself was renamed Ambleside to avoid persecution.

Oscar was posted missing in France on 20 July 1916 and his name appeared on the German Death list dated 9 September 1916. His personnel records show the translation of an undated German message which states:

Note that the date, 2 July 1916, is believed to be a misprint and was treated as such as the Assistant Adjutant General ruled on 3 October 1916 that Oscar be reported as killed in action on 20 July 1916. Accordingly, Oscar’s name was added to the list of British Dead and he was struck off strength on 20 October.

Oscar’s older brother, 2561 Private Walter Oscar Baumann, enlisted on 16 October 1915 shortly after Oscar. Walter also went to Egypt but on 15 May 1916 he developed an inguinal hernia and was evacuated to Australia for an operation. He arrived in Melbourne on 22 July - unaware that his brother had been killed two days prior - and was eventually discharged in January 1917 for medical reasons. It was one of Walter’s Bowman descendants who offered a sample that led to his identification.

The family placed memorial notices in the newspaper on the anniversary of his death and it is clear that Oscar always remained in the memories of his parents and his eight siblings - Minnie, Henry, Johanna, Olga, Walter, Elsa, Rudolf and Emma – and their families.