SOWDEN, Ronald Alexander
| Service Number: | 4574 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 3 November 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Corinda Sherwood Shire Roll of Honor, Graceville War Memorial, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 4574, 9th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 4574, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Brisbane |
Help us honour Ronald Alexander Sowden's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Ronald Sowden was barely 18 when he enlisted on 6th September 1915. He was employed as a clerk with Queensland Railways and lived with his parents at “Dalkeith” Corinda. Ronald embarked with reinforcements for the 9th Battalion in Brisbane on 31st January and arrived in Alexandria on 5th March 1916.
Ronald did not join his unit straight away but spent some time in Egypt before being shipped to the large British camp at Etaples nicknamed the “Bullring” on 11th July. While Ronald was waiting to join his battalion, the 9th were put into the line at Pozieres on 23rd July and received significant casualties. After they were withdrawn, Ronald joined them on 29th July. After a period of rest and re-equipping, the battalion was again thrust into the battle for Mouquet Farm on 21st August; further along the ridge from Pozieres. During this engagement, Ronald was slightly wounded and required a few days at a field hospital.
After the shocking experiences of Pozieres, the battalion was sent to the rear areas behind Ypres in Belgium to recuperate and begin training for the next “stunt.” Ronald reported to a casualty clearing station with a septic hand on 14th November but returned to his battalion 11 days later. In January 1917, Ronald again presented to a casualty clearing station with a septic arm. It is quite possible that this was a recurrence of the earlier infection and since there were no suitable drugs to treat such injuries, infections could be serious.
Nevertheless Ronald made a full recovery and was back with his unit by late February. The 9th by this time had moved with the rest of the 1st Division back to the Somme and were holding the line at the juncture of the Somme and Ancre Rivers. The winter had been particularly severe, particularly for men out in the open in muddy trenches. In April Ronald was hospitalised with influenza and by the time he rejoined the battalion in May, his mates were preparing to go up against the Hindenburg Line at Baupume.
On the 7th May 1917, Ronald was wounded for the second time. This time it was more serious as he had gun shot wounds to the face, arm and buttocks. After a month in a field hospital he returned to his unit. In September Ronald was granted 12 days leave in England, returning to the battalion on 19th September.
The 1st Division had been brought to Flanders to continue the series of advances that had begun in June 1917 at Messines and continued along the Menin Road towards the ridge on which sat the villages of Zonnebeke and Passchendaele. The 1st Division was moving up to the jump off tapes at Broodseinde Ridge on 3rd November when Ronald was struck in the head by a high explosive shell fragment, killing him instantly. The commanding officer of the battalion reported that Ronald had been buried by the men in his company and approximate grid references were taken.
Sadly, when isolated graves were being consolidated by the Imperial War Graves Commission, there was no trace of Ronald’s grave. Instead his name was added to the tablets on the Menin Gate at Ypres along with the names of 55,000 other Commonwealth soldiers who perished in Flanders and have no known grave. Since 1923, every evening a solemn ceremony is held at the Menin Gate which concludes with the reciting of the ode and the playing of the last post.
Eventually Ronald’s parents, Samuel and Sarah received his few personals effects, the Empire medal and Victory Medal and a memorial scroll and plaque. Sarah Sowden also was granted a pension of 17 shillings and sixpence per fortnight.
Courtesy of Ian Lang
Mango Hill