STEVENS, Andrew Williams
| Service Numbers: | 5766, 5677 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Carlton North, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Seymour State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Stock cutter |
| Died: | Accidental (Injuries), Racecourse V.A. Hospital, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom, 19 November 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Cheltenham Cemetery, Prestbury, England M. 9225, Cheltenham Cemetery, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5766, 7th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 5766, 7th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ayrshire embarkation_ship_number: A33 public_note: '' | |
| 3 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 5766, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ayrshire, Melbourne | |
| 25 Feb 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 5766, 7th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line, GSW to thighs. | |
| 25 Feb 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 5766, 7th Infantry Battalion, The Outpost Villages - German Withdrawal to Hindenburg Line, GSW to thighs. | |
| 25 Oct 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 5677, 7th Infantry Battalion, 1st Passchendaele, G.S.W. to left arm (slight). Died of accident while recovering |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK
Died on this date – 19th November..... Private Andrew Williams Stevens was born at Moonee Ponds, Victoria in 1893.He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 6th March, 1916 as a 23 year old, married, Stock-cutter from North Carlton, Victoria.
Private Stevens embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Ayrshire (A33) on 3rd July, 1916 with the 7th Infantry Battalion, 18th Reinforcements & disembarked at Plymouth, England on 2nd September, 1916 for further training.
Private Stevens proceeded to France on 14th October, 1916 & joined 7th Battalion at the Front on 3rd November, 1916.
Private Andrew Williams Stevens was wounded in action in France on 25th February, 1917. He was invalided to England on Hospital Ship Formosa & was admitted to 1st London General Hospital, England on 1st March, 1917 with GSW to thighs. He was discharged to furlo on 26th May, 1917.
Private Stevens was posted to No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs, Wiltshire on 12th June, 1917. He proceeded to France on 23rd July, 1917 & was admitted to Hospital in France on 24th July, 1917. Private Stevens was discharged on 31st July, 1917 (Scabies) & rejoined 7th Battalion at the Front on 20th August, 1917.
Private Andrew Williams Stevens was wounded in action (2nd occasion) in Belgium between 25th – 26th October, 1917. He embarked for England on Hospital Ship Panama on 2nd November, 1917 with GSW to left elbow. Private Stevens was admitted to V.A. Hospital, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England on 3rd November, 1917 with G.S.W. to left arm (slight).
Private Andrew Williams Stevens died at 11.40 am on 19th November, 1917 at Racecourse V.A. Hospital, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England from a fractured skull – the result of an accidental fall.
A Court of Enquiry was held at Racecourse Hospital, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England on 21st November, 1917. The Coroner Mr J. Waghorie was inquiring into the circumstances connected with the death of Private Stevens’ fractured skull which was a result of a fall whilst going over a Hospital Wall. The Jury found that the deceased died as the result of an accident following a fall & returned a verdict accordingly.
Newspaper item – Cheltenham Chronicle, England – 24 November, 1917:
CHELTENHAM AND COUNTY
…..
At the inquest held in the Racecourse Hospital, Cheltenham, on Wednesday, on the body of Pte Andrew William Stevens, an Australian soldier, evidence showed that the deceased, in leaping from a fence on to a sloping bank, fell, striking the back of his head on a stone and fracturing the base of his skull. With a comrade, also an Australian, he had made arrangements to meet two friends in the road abutting the hospital ground, and on leaving the hospital after six o’clock without permission both men committed a breach of the regulations. The consequences were tragic, and the Coroner (Mr John Waghorne), commenting on the sad nature of the case, said he hoped it would be a warning to those in the hospital to obey the rules and regulations, which, after all, were made for the general welfare of all the patients. A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned.”
Private Andrew Williams Stevens was buried in Cheltenham Cemetery, Gloucestershire, England where 9 other Australian WW1 Soldiers are buried.
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/cheltenham.html
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