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TOWNLEY, Roy
| Service Number: | 470 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 January 1915, Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 27th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Norwood, South Australia, 7 August 1896 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Cabinet Maker |
| Died: | Adelaide, South Australia, 5 January 1974, aged 77 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Norwood Football Club War Veterans, Norwood Primary School Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jan 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Mar 1915: | Transferred AIF WW1, Corporal, 24th Infantry Battalion | |
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 470, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Corporal, 470, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 1 May 1916: | Wounded Corporal, 470, 27th Infantry Battalion, He went to a hospital in France. | |
| 6 Jun 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, 470, 27th Infantry Battalion, He was discharged from Hospital, and rejoined his battalion in France. | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 27th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Roy Townley was born on the 7th of August, 1896, in Norwood, South Australia. His father was named James Alfred Townley (1865-1954), and his mother was named Alice Maude Jane Colwell (1865-1948). On his service form, he attested that his next of kin was his mother He had four brothers; George; Frederick Charles (1889-1967); Frank (1898 –1898), Edward William (1900-?), and a disputed brother named Alfred George (1888-1964).
Before he joined the army, Roy Townley was a cabinet maker and he also served in the 79th Battalion. He also had a successful career in football, spanning from 1919 to 1928. He played 141 games and scored 94 goals for the Norwood football club.
Townley enlisted on the 26th of January, 1915, in Keswick, South Australia, when he was 18. On the 31st of May 1915, Roy Townley embarked on the HMAT Geelong in Adelaide, with the service number 470 in the 27th Infantry Battalion. On the 9th July 1916, he was promoted to Temporary Sergeant of the 27th battalion.
On the 1st of May 1916, Roy Townley was admitted to the Australian Hospital Wimereux for being sick. On the 6th of June, 1916, he was discharged to Base Depot to convalesce, and on the 1st of July, he rejoined his Battalion in France.
The 27th Battalion was stationed mainly in France, where they fought in the Battle of Amiens, Battle of Broodseind Ridge, Battle of Flers, Battle of Hamel, Battle of Menin Road, Battle of Pozieres, Beaureviour Line, German Spring Offensive, Hindenburg Line, and Molancourt. His battalion received 17 Battle of Honours. They spent time in 1915 and 1916 being stationed in Egypt, where the Battalion served in Gallipoli.
On April 17th, 1917, Townley went to a trial for allegedly releasing a soldier and giving them permission to go AWOL. He was found not guilty.
Roy Townley returned from service on the 12th of February, 1919. In 1921, on the 15th of March, Roy Townley married Elise May Kay (1898-1991). Together they had two children; Roy Townley Jr (1925-1997) and Kathleen Joyce Townley (1929-2007).
Roy Townley passed away on the 5th of January, 1974, aged 77. His wife passed away at age 93 in 1991. His son, Roy Townley Jr, passed away at age 72 in 1997, and his daughter, Kathleen, passed away in 2007 at age 78.
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