Charles Lanham COWARD

COWARD, Charles Lanham

Service Number: 1311
Enlisted: Not yet discovered
Last Rank: Sergeant
Last Unit: Railway Unit (AIF)
Born: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, 21 April 1880
Home Town: Torrensville, South Australia
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Sergeant
Died: Unley, South Australia, Australia, 3 December 1949, aged 69 years, cause of death not yet discovered
Cemetery: AIF Cemetery, West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, South Australia
Memorials: Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board
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World War 1 Service

11 May 1917: Involvement Sergeant, 1311, Railway Unit (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: ''
11 May 1917: Embarked Sergeant, 1311, Railway Unit (AIF), HMAT Shropshire, Melbourne

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Biography contributed by Adelaide High School

Charles Lanham Coward was a sergeant for the First World War in the Railway Unit, Section 4. He served in the war for 2 years and 4 days. He also served as in Infantry for the Boer War in 1899-1902. He was born on the 21st of April 1880 in Adelaide. Before joining the war, he worked as an engine driver and his religious belief was the Church of England. He lived in Fairfax Terrace, Torrensville, South Australia with his wife, Maud Alice Coward and his three children who are all under the age of 16. At the age of 36, he decided to go to war on the 5th of January 1917 as a sergeant.

On the 11th of May 1917, Charles embarked from Melbourne on board the HMAT A9 Shropshire where he disembarked in Plymouth two months later. After arriving at England, he departed to France arriving at the battlefield on the 5th of October. He served his time on the Railway Unit, Section 4 when in November 1918, he got knocked out and wasn’t able to proceed further. Charles was later diagnosed with debility which forced him to return back to Australia on the 1st of April 1919. He was later discharged from his role on the 13th of June 1919 because of a Cessation of Hostilities.

After the war, Charles received three medals, Victory Medal, British War Medal and 1914-1915 Star Medal. He unfortunately got divorced with his wife in 1930. Charles died at the age of 69  on the 3rd  of December 1949 at Unley, South Australia where he was buried at the West Terrace Cemetery Road.

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