COWELL, Arthur George
| Service Number: | 6238 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ballan, Victoria, December 1898 |
| Home Town: | Ballan, Moorabool, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Ballan State School |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Passchendaele Ridge, Belgium, 4 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" No known grave, Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium, La Brique Military Cemetery No 2, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballan St. John's Anglican Church Great War Roll of Honor, Ballan St. John's Anglican Church Memorial Shield, Ballan War Memorial, Brown Hill Queen Street State School No 1998 Roll of Honor, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 24 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6238 | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Sep 1916: | Involvement Private, 6238, 7th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Sep 1916: | Embarked Private, 6238, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Melbourne |
Help us honour Arthur George Cowell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Julianne Ryan
Born December 1898 in Ballan, Victoria
Father Charles Walter Cowell, lived at Ballan, Victoria
Next of kin in service: (cousin)
Aubrey David George Cowell - killed in service
Previous service:
4 years Senior Cadets, Ballan, VIC
1915 - transferred to Citizen Forces - 10 months and still serving on enlisting
Arthur was described on enlisting as 18 years 6 months of age; single; 5' 7" tall;
124 lbs; fresh complexion; blue eyes; black hair; Church of England
12/05/1916 Arthur's father gave consent for Arthur to join WWI
(it was noted on this day that his mother was deceased)
24/05/1916 enlisted in Melbourne, VIC
08/09/1916 appointed to 20th reinforcements, 7th Battalion, Castlemaine Camp
11/09/1916 embarked Port of Melbourne, VIC onboard HMAT A14 Euripides
as a Private with 7th Infantry Battalion, 21st reinforcements
26/10/1916 disembarked into Plymouth, England
30/10/1916 marched into 2nd Training Battalion
17/12/1916 proceeded overseas to France onboard SS Golden Eagle
18/12/1916 marched in to 1st A.D.B.D, Etaples, France
23/12/1916 marched out to unit, France
24/12/1916 taken on strength of 7th Infantry Battalion, from 20th reinforcements
04/10/1917 he was hit by a shell and killed outright
It is noted by the 1st Divisional grave burial team that Arthur was buried 1000 yards
north of Boursties on the Bapaume-Cambrai Road (off a sunken road) - during heavyshelling.
18/06/1918 stated by 4730 Corporal Robert Ernest Ball - 7th Battalion
"I did not know him personally. I heard he ws killed by shellfire at
Passchendaele Ridge sector in front of Anzac Ridge. I was in charge
of the platoon detailed off to bury him and others. He is buried close
to where he fell. We could only bury our dead in shell holes and I
could not find timber to make a cross. I place his helmet and stuck
up a rifle on the grave to mark the spot. We were carryng on the
burials under shell fire."
Later there was no known grave
His name is commemorated on:
- Panel 7 of The Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ypres, Belgium
- Panel 49 at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT
Medals: British War medal (47334), Victory medal (46782),
Memorial Plaque and Scroll (334658)
Submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 19/01/2017. Lest we forget.
Click images to start slideshow.