26740
COWIE, John Gordon
| Service Number: | 20540 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | Australian Army Medical Corps WW1 |
| Born: | Norwood, South Australia, Australia, April 1999 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Fire Underwriters' Association of S.A. WW1 Roll of Honour, Norwood Primary School Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Aug 1918: | Involvement Private, 20540, Army Medical Corps (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: SS Gaika embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 1918: | Embarked Private, 20540, Army Medical Corps (AIF), SS Gaika, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 20540 | |
| 1 Dec 1918: | Involvement Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, 20540, Australian Army Medical Corps WW1 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
John Gordon Cowie, enlisted aged 18 years 4 months. 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 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 cadets 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 permission letter.[1]
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]
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]
[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
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