TOWNSEND, Alfred John
| Service Number: | 3511 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 50th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Largs Bay, South Australia, 23 December 1897 |
| Home Town: | Largs Bay, Port Adelaide Enfield, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Mouquet Farm, France, 16 August 1916, aged 18 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Australian Harbours Board WW1 Roll of Honour, Adelaide Commissioner of Public Works Roll of Honour, Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Birkenhead WW1 Harbors Board Employees Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3511 | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Oct 1915: | Involvement Private, 3511, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Oct 1915: | Embarked Private, 3511, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Adelaide | |
| 16 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 3511, 50th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3511 awm_unit: 50 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-08-16 |
Help us honour Alfred John Townsend's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Julianne Ryan
Born: 23 December 1897 in Largs Bay, South Australia
(SA Births 1842 - 1906 Book: 615 Page: 189 District: PtA.)
Father James TOWNSEND (d. January 1908 at 65 years old)
buried in: Cheltenham Cemetery, Cemetery,
Section: Section K; Drive: C; Path (#): 3(14); Site: 76C) and
Mother Margaret Townsend (nee CORNEY) (d. May 1928 at 65 years old)
buried in: Cheltenham Cemetery, Cemetery,
Section: Section K; Drive: C; Path (#): 3(14); Site: 76N)
Previous service:
4 years Naval Cadets (still serving on enlisting)
Alfred last lived with his mother and siblings at Mead Street, Largs Bay, South Australia.
Described on enlisting as 18 years 1 month of age; single; 5' 7" tall; 158 lbs;
fair complexion; blue eyes; light brown hair; Church of England
21/07/1915 enlisted into WWI at Keswick, South Australia
27/07/1915 appointed to Group Base Infantry, Exhibition Camp
27/10/1915 embarked Outer Harbour, SA, onboard HMAT A24 Benalla
as a Private with 10th Battalion, 11th Reinforcement
26/02/1916 transferred to 50th Infantry Battalion at Tel-el-Kebir, ex Zeitoun
05/06/1916 proceeded to join British Expeditionary Forces, ex Alexandria
12/06/1916 disembarked at Marseilles, France
16/08/1916 Killed in Action in the field, Mouquet Farm, France
Noted as being buried at Mouquet Farm.
Sadly due to continual shelling, his grave was not relocated.
His name is commemorated on:
- the Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France
- Panel 151 at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT
- the South Australian Harbors Board WWI Memorial, Birkenhead, South Australia
His name is also commemorated at his mother's grave at Cheltenham Cemetery.
Medals: 1914/15 Star (4418); British War medal (22075); Victory medal (22000)
Memorial Plaque and Scroll (316952)
Submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 24/04/2017. Lest we forget.
Click images to start slideshow.