Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

GOW Private David 1746
Private David Gow stated he was 21 years old but he put his age up from 18 years old to avoid his parent’s permission to enlist. David was a labourer of Dubbo when he enlisted on 12 January 1916 with the Tooraweenah Kookaburras and marched to Bathurst. The medical examination described him as 5’ 8”, 134lbs (61kgs), chest expansion of 32”-35”, fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair and a scar inside the left knee. His religion was Church of England and his father; David Gow of Obley NSW was his next of kin.
After training at Bathurst, David embarked at Sydney with the 45th Battalion on board the HMAT ‘Ceramic’ on 14 April, 1916. The unit trained a further month at Tel-el-Kabir in Egypt and left for England in June 1916. He joined his unit around Albert, France on 9 August, 1916 and faced the trenches of the Western Front in winter. David was charged with insolent conduct in October 1916.
David was wounded in action for the first time in February 1917. He suffered gunshot wounds to his head, arm and buttock at Guedecourt and was treated at the Canada General Hospital in France. He returned to his unit in May 1917. He was wounded in action again on 8 June, 1917at Messines Ridge and rejoined his unit nine days later.
David was killed in action on 13 October 1917 at Passchendaele during the 3rd Battle of Ypres and he is buried in the Passchendaele New British Cemetery.
He is commemorated on the Cumnock Memorial Gates, Wongarbon and Obley War Memorials and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Panel 139
His father received his British War Medal and the Victory Medal.