Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Gordon Cowie, enlisted aged 18 years 4 months to go to war. John stood short at 5 foot 5 and weighed 101 lbs. John lived with his parents in the suburb of Norwood, South Australia at 142 Beulah Road. He was, and always was a private in the units he served in. He wasn’t married and didn’t have children. Before the war, John was a regular clerk and lived an everyday life, but he had served in the small Battle company of Mitcham for a short span of a fortnight, and the defence company for roughly 4 months. John’s parents allowed him to go to war by signing his medical records.[1]

John embarked on a rigorous adventure throughout the war. Along with the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) John left for London aboard the H.M.T Gaika from Adelaide on the 6th of August, 1918. 2 months into John’s journey, he was admitted to hospital with a bad case of influenza but was luckily discharged two days later. John then disembarked in London’s wet and cold conditions to join the English Defence Corps, on the 13th of October. A day later he was granted 6 days leave for health reasons.[1]

Three days later on the 23rd of November John was again admitted to a hospital called the Hurdcott Camp.[1] Hurdcott Camp was established in 1915 for various troops, It was a small hospital for them but in August 1916, when the Australian forces took over the camp the hospital was enlarged. Facilities were greatly expanded to accommodate the thousands of Australian wounded from the battlefields in France. It was staffed by Australian medical services and had at least 172 beds.[2]

On the 1st of December John continued his work, this time as part of the AAMC Engineering Corps, providing aid for patients and helping engineer certain medical items. He continued working at the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital for a span of 6 months, even past the war’s ending date.[1] The Hospital was empty at the outbreak of WW1 but in 1915 it became the Orchard Military Hospital for sick and wounded soldiers. On 16 Oct 1916, a unit previously known as the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital was later renamed the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital. The Australians greatly improved the site, even adding an operating theatre. In April 1917 the Australian Red Cross took control of the Red Cross store, which ambulant patients could visit to get items that would make their stay more relaxed.[3]

Bed-ridden patients were visited by the store workers and given cigarettes and chocolate. Every patient received 30 cigarettes a week. The number of beds increased from 800 to 1000, and finally to 1200. Extra nursing staff were provided by the Women's Army Auxiliary Crops. From October 1915 until December 1918, 56,441 troops had been treated. At the end of 1918, when the war had been over a month, 884 soldiers still remained in the hospital.[3]

After the war finished John embarked to the Australian Head Quarters in London, and shortly after moved in there. He then boarded the SS Aeneas and returned home to Adelaide. John Gordon Cowie’s adventure as a soldier ended on the 30th of January, 1920 when he was discharged.[1]

The Anzac spirit or Anzac legend is a concept which suggests that Australian and New Zealand soldiers possess shared characteristics, specifically the qualities those soldiers supposedly showed on the battlefields of World War I. John Gordon Cowie showed the characteristics of persistence and kindness during the War. He stuck to his very few, but long-lasting duties around his various whereabouts and helped care for others when he worked in London. He even showed the characteristic of persistence by even serving late, after the war’s ending date.

[1] –

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3434517

[2] –

http://www.fovanthistory.org/hospital.html

[3] –

https://birtwistlewiki.com.au/wiki/3rd_Australian_Auxiliary_Hospital