OWEN, Coulton Thomas
| Service Number: | 2210 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 June 1915, Keswick, SA |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Australia, September 1890 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Public School, SA |
| Occupation: | Tramway Conductor |
| Died: | Wounded and Missing, then Killed, France, 4 August 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Norwood War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2210, 27th Infantry Battalion, Keswick, SA | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Sep 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2210, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 21 Sep 1915: | Embarked Private, 2210, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Star of England, Adelaide | |
| 4 Aug 1916: | Involvement Corporal, 2210, 27th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2210 awm_unit: 27 Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1916-08-04 |
Help us honour Coulton Thomas Owen's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Coulton Thomas Owen
Coulton Thomas Owen was a World War 1 solider, he served in the war from the 2nd of August 1915 – 12th of August 1916 (for 1 year and 10 days). He was said at first to be wounded and missing but then he was declared as dead.
Coulton was born in September 1890, at Port Pirie, Adelaide, SA. There is no record of the day Coulton was born, since enlisters for the war were only required to write their age in years and months at the time. Before joining the war Coulton was a conductor, this most probably why he joined since working in the war earned you more money than working as a conductor. Owen was married to a woman named Hillery Magurite Owen. They had one child. Hillery was Owen’s next of kin. They lived at 6 Elm Avenue, Unley, Adelaide, SA.
Coulton hadn’t had any experience with the military, enlisting for the war was most probably very different and very nerve-wracking.
Coulton enlisted on the 2nd of June 1915, at Keswick, SA. He embarked as a Private in Adelaide on the HMAT Star of England A15. He was accepted as a soldier fit to serve with his weight being 72 kg (159 pounds) and his height being a not too tall but an average height of 5.9 feet.
Not long after his training in Cairo, Egypt for 2 months, he was placed on the 27th Battalion where he served for a year.
On the 10th of September 1915, the 27th battalion arrived at Pozières, France at midnight. This was the only destination that Coulton Thomas Owen would travel to in France.
Due to the sickening conditions, Coulton also got sick, he was admitted in the hospital for Bronchitis on the 27th of April 1916. He was in the hospital for about two days but he rejoined the battle on the 29th of April 1916.
Coulton was a very well behaved soldier, he didn’t have any bad records, he was always on time, he never misbehaved. His good behaviour was a good reason why he got promoted to Corporal on the 21st of April, a few days before he had been admitted in hospital.
On the 4th of August 1916 during another attack Coulton was wounded, most his mates said that he was taken to an unknown hospital in England. Some of his mates even said that he was killed instantly as a shell fell on him. A few hours later that day there was no news about Coulton, which resulted in him being said to be wounded and missing in action. He was missing for 3 months; many inquiries were put into action to locate him but there was no news of him. His wife had also sent many letters to inquire about her husband, in the end Coulton was said to be killed in action.
Coulton was awarded the 1914 – 1915 star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. These medals were sent to Coulton’s wife, his next of kin.
Coulton died at the age of 26 years old, he left behind his wife and one child, he fought for his country and died for it. He will always be remembered in our hearts.
Bibliography
- https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/all/?preferred_name=&service_number=&unit=&conflict=0&op=Search
- https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx
- https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/awm4/
Click images to start slideshow.