Stanley Joseph John OWENS

Badge Number: S5106, Sub Branch: Broken Hill, NSW
S5106

OWENS, Stanley Joseph John

Service Number: 146
Enlisted: 14 January 1916, at Adelaide
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 43rd Infantry Battalion
Born: Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, 1897
Home Town: Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Yardman
Memorials: Broken Hill B.H. Globe Timber Co. Ltd. Honour Roll
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World War 1 Service

14 Jan 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 146, 43rd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide
9 Jun 1916: Involvement Private, 146, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: ''
9 Jun 1916: Embarked Private, 146, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide
31 Jul 1917: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 146, 43rd Infantry Battalion
29 Mar 1918: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 146, 43rd Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918, GSW left wrist

Help us honour Stanley Joseph John Owens's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College

Before War:

Owens was born in the year 1897 in Broken Hill, NSW. When he got older, he got a job as a yardman. He had the religion of Roman Catholic. Owens was 5’ 8.5” tall and weighed 122 pounds (55.34 kg). He had an average height for a man in his time as the average height was around 5’8”. His hair was brown, and his eyes were blue. He had a chest that measured 33.36 inches. His complexion was medium meaning he was well balanced. He had excellent. On the 14th of January Owens enlisted for the army. He appointed his sister (Mrs. Nellie Theresa Currie) as his next of kin. His sister lived on Crystal Street, Broken Hill, NSW. He was put into the 43rd battalion and sent to war on the HMAT Afric 19

During War:

In June 1916 Owens, Stanley Joseph John landed in Egypt for a brief stop. They quickly left and then headed to Britain. He was there for a good amount of time, so it is safe to assume that he and his battalion were doing further training before he was actually sent into battle. On August the 13th 1916 Owens was admitted to hospital with Pharyngitis (this infection is very similar to tonsilitis as it causes a sore throat and is followed by infections such as the flu or a cold). This infection caused him to miss out on some of his training in Britain. From this sickness he got weak, and he was sent back to the hospital on the 6th of October 1916 with debility (debility means he was weak due to his illness). This was a hard time for Owens as he was consistently in and out of the hospital and missing his training. He re-joined his battalion on the 26th of October 1916 after almost 3 weeks in hospital. He continued with his training until the 11th of November 1916 were, he was admitted to the hospital with tonsilitis (an infection of the tonsils causing them to swell up and cause pain). It is safe to assume that this was frustrated as he was missing out on his training and he was in and out of the hospital frequently. Once he had recovered he rejoined the battalion.

On the 8th of December 1916, he was admitted to hospital with an infection. He was in the hospital for 48 days until he was discharged and sent back to his battalion on the 13th of January 1917. By then his battalion was fighting on the Western Front in bloody trench warfare. During Owens' time of fighting on the Western Front, many soldiers were killed and wounded. On the 31st July 1917, Owens was shot in the arm. He was sent to hospital in England and did return to his unit until December 1917.

At the start of 1918, they were fighting in the Somme Valley which was one of the worst and bloodiest battles in history. During this time Owens was admitted to hospital due to sickness on the 2nd of March. On 29th March he was wounded for the second occasion, this time in the left wrist. This injury was severe and Owens did not return to action. Instead, the decision was made to return him to Australia for discharge.

After War:

Owens returned to Australia on the 6th of November 1918. He received two medals that most soldiers were awarded. He was also awarded the British war medal which was awarded to all soldiers who fought for England and their controlled countries. Finally, the victory medal was awarded to all the soldiers who won against the central powers. It is unknown when he died and where he was buried.

Bibliography:

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). Stanley Joseph John Owens. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2017350.

recordsearch.naa.gov.au. (n.d.). Session expired | RecordSearch | National Archives of Australia. [online] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=8003711&isAv=N [Accessed 3 Mar. 2021].

vwma.org.au. (n.d.). Stanley Joseph John OWENS. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/221734 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2021].

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). AWM4 Subclass 23/60 - 43rd Infantry Battalion. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339186.

scheme=AGLSTERMS. AglsAgent; corporateName=Commonwealth of Australia, D. of D. address=Russell O. (2013). Victory Medal: World War One: Department of Defence. [online] www.defence.gov.au. Available at: https://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/Victory-Medal.asp#:~:text=The%20Victory%20Medal%20was%20authorised.

Wikipedia. (2021). British War Medal. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_War_Medal#:~:text=The%20British%20War%20Medal%20was%20awarded%20to%20all%20officers%20and [Accessed 23 Mar. 2021].

Awm.gov.au. (2016). | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51483.

Awm.gov.au. (2010). Anzac spirit | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/anzac/spirit.

          

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