Like the Clansman system before it, Bowman radio headsets are designed to be compatible with NBC equipment so that communications can continue whilst troops are wearing NBC equipment and most particularly respirators. When Bowman was introduced, the British Army was still using the S10 respirator and so it made sense to have a headset that was compatible with that mask. The PRR headset consists of a headphone part and a microphone. The headphone could still be worn with a respirator, however the microphone could be replaced with a cable and a respirator attachment:
The attachment might look familiar, it is identical to that used on the older Clansman that we looked at here. The microphone is mounted on a plastic cage over the mouth, an interrupted thread being used to secure it. Note the holes drilled for sound to enter the microphone diaphragm:
A simple plug pin is also fitted to the headset to allow it to be attached to the radio itself:
The speaker part of the headset is a single unit, worn over one ear, with a padded cup for comfort and to block out extraneous noise:
A plastic frame on the outside holds all the speaker and attaches it to the head harness:
The use of a single speaker ensures that the soldier never looses tactical awareness and can still hear things on the battle field, even though he is receiving radio communications at the same time. I am struggling to find much information on this particular headset, I suspect that it has been long since replaced when the army switched from the S10 respirator to the GSR pattern.
Is there any evidence that this may be a user modification to a standard Bowman headset, for example broken plastic where the microphone boom normally fits, or missing/ill-fitting cable glands?
There is a Lowe S10/FM10 respirator microphone that is similar to the Clansman audio gear respirator, but it has an Amphenol TP-120 connector as on your example. Like the Clansman version though, this isn’t permanently attached to the headgear; see links in this post https://www.reddit.com/r/gasmasks/comments/e2mj6n/clansman_z42_gas_maskrespirator_microphone_and/
On your version the microphone insert with the red bar, and white cable sleeve would seem to indicate this part is made from a Clansman S10 audio gear respirator.
The issued Bowman adaptor for the S10 can seen here: https://www.reddit.com/r/gasmasks/comments/reupk0/avon_s10_comms_20022010_with_bowmanharris_h4855/
If your example is a user modification then somebody had a need to use a nonstandard radio, and may have felt that the Clansman S10 adaptor was superior to the Bowman.