BICKFORD, Howell Nicholas
| Service Number: | 3752 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 February 1916, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 31st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Toorak, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia , 6 August 1891 |
| Home Town: | Goomburra, Southern Downs, Queensland |
| Schooling: | State Schoool, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 12 April 1918, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No.1, France Plot V1, Row B, Grave 15, Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No 1, Doullens, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Allora Shire Soldiers Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Goomburra WW1 Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Sep 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3752, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Sep 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3752, 31st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane | |
| 11 May 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 31st Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 10 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Corporal, 3752, 31st Infantry Battalion, GSW - scapula, elbow, thighs |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 12 Apr 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 3752, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3752 awm_unit: 31st Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Corporal awm_died_date: 1918-04-12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Involvement 31st Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Howell was the youngest of three children of Ernest John Bickford (born 1861 in Melbourne, Victoria) and first wife Alice Carter Wood (born 1862 in Melbourne, Victoria). Ernest - a Botanist, Author and Furniture Manufacturer - married Alice in Melbourne in 1886. Following Alice's death in 1891, Ernest remarried Mary Dixon (born 1869 in Melbourne) in 1895. The family moved to Perth, WA where Ernest was a Furniture Manufacturer and Exporter until 1905, when they relocated to Sydney, NSW.
Howell was a Farmer at Goomburra on the Darling Downs QLD when he enlisted in the AIF in February 1916 as a Private (Service No: 3752). He had previously served twelve months in the Naval Cadets. Howell served with the 31st Infantry Battalion and 8th Training Battalion, and attended the 5th Sniping School in June 1917. He was a Corporal on 10 April 1918 when he was WiA in France - GSW to the scapula, elbow and both thighs. He died of his wounds and is buried at Doullens Cemetery in France.
Howell's father Ernest (Sapper; Service No:22221), Brothers Richard Watson (Private; Service No:11909) and Leslie Wills (Private; Service No:93746), and Brother-in-Law John Benjamin Oswald Hosking (T/Corporal: Service No:19644) also served in WWI.