TOWNLEY, Horace John
| Service Number: | 469 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 January 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Warrant Officer Class 2 |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Norwood, South Australia, 4 August 1894 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Rose Park State School, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Collarmaker |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Ypres, Belgium, 9 October 1916, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Railway Dugouts Burial Ground (Transport Farm) Railway Dugouts Burial Ground, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Norwood Primary School Honour Board, Norwood War Memorial, Rose Park Burnside District Fallen Soldiers' Memorial - Rose Park |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 469, 27th Infantry Battalion, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sergeant, 469, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Sep 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 469, 27th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, The 27th Battalion landed at Gallipoli on 12th September 1915, the 2nd Division largely relieving the 1st in the front lines | |
| 15 Jul 1916: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Warrant Officer Class 2, 469, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 469 awm_unit: 27 Battalion awm_rank: Company Sergeant Major awm_died_date: 1916-10-09 |
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"...Sgt Townley, a collar maker from Norwood, SA prior to enlistment, was later promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 and on 14 October 1916, aged 22, was killed in action at Ypres and was buried in the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground, Belgium. Two brothers, 1103 Private Alfred George Townley (/explore/people/339922) and Lieutenant Roy Townley (/explore/people/270916) also served with the 27th Battalion.
"THE LATE SERGEANT-MAJOR H. J. TOWNLEY.
The military authorities have notified Mr. and Mrs J. A. Townley of Sheldon street, Norwood, that their third son, Company Sergeant-Major Horace J. Townley, was killed in action in France on October 9. With two of his brothers he enlisted in January, 1915, and left South Australia in May, 1915. After a few months of waiting in Egypt the three brothers went with their battalion to Gallipoli, where they remained until the evacuation. After a short rest in Egypt they proceeded to the Western front, and Sergeant-Major Townley was almost continuously in the fighting zone. He was 22 years of age on August 4. He left here with the rank of sergeant, but having shown his capabilities while on Gallipoli was in July, 1916, given the temporary position of company sergeant-major, and had that appointment confirmed a few weeks prior to his death. He had attended the Norwood Church of Christ Bible School nearly all his life, and be came a member of the church about four years ago. He became an active worker in the Bible school and other institutions connected with the church. Sport also claimed his attention, and he was one of the leading members of the church's football, cricket, and basketball clubs." - from the Adelaide Chronicle 11 Nov 1916 (nla.gov.au)
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