Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life
Frank Leslie Sowton was born on the 25th of March 1894 in Norwood, South Australia. His parent’s names were William and Mary Sowton and his family lived on 17 May Terrace in Kensington Park. He was the youngest of six children and his brother, Private Stanley Seymour Sowton (no. 978), also fought in the war under the 43rd Battalion and returned to Australia in May 1919. He attended school at Rose Park Public School and his occupation before the war was a printer. He was also a believer in the Church of England.

He enlisted on the 19th of January 1916 in Adelaide at the age of 21 years and 10 months as Private 4521. He was 5.7 feet tall had a medium complexion, hazel eyes, and dark hair.

Service
He embarked from Adelaide on the 25th of March 1916 aboard the HMAT A9 “Shropshire” with the 27 Infantry Battalion. When they arrived in Alexandria he transferred to the HMAT “Tunisian” two months later on the 25th of May. He finally arrived in Marseilles, France on the 5th of June 1916 and he went on to join his unit in Etaples on the 8th of June.  

After spending three months in the trenches he contracted trench feet and was taken to England on the 24th of November. Trench foot occurs when the feet are wet for too long and caused an approximate 75,000 British deaths during the war. It causes blisters, blotchy skin, and redness to the feet. He was admitted to the 3rd Southern General Hospital. Later he was again hospitalised on the 7th of February 1917 and was sick until he marched out with the 16th Brigade on the 23rd of April.

On the 24th of April Frank was transferred to the 70th Battalion. Here he committed several offences. On the 27th of May, he was absent from an inlying piquet even after he was warned. This caused him to lose one days’ worth of pay and five days C.C. He was also punished for being absent from a defaulters roll-call parade (seven days F.P. No. 2) and being unshaven (two days C.C.) during his time in the 70th battalion. C.C stands for confined to camp and F.P. stands for field punishment.

On the 19th of September 1917, Frank was transferred back to the 27th Infantry Battalion and went on to join his unit on the 18th of October in Belgium. Here he received a shrapnel wound to his wrist on the 11th of June 1918 and was admitted to the 54th General Hospital. He was then moved to the 1st Convalescent Depot and then to the Australian Base Depot before re-joining his battalion on the 20th of July.

On his return, Frank was appointed a Lance Corporal on the 14th of September and then promoted to a Corporal on the 10th of October. During this time, he also spent some time on leave in England from the 28th of September to the 19th of October.

Finally, on the 1st of April 1919, Frank was admitted to the 1st General Hospital in Sutton Veny and listed as dangerously ill. He then died seventeen days later of Nephritis, a disease that causes inflammation to the kidneys, on the 18th of April at the age of 25 years and 1 month. He was buried in the Sutton Veny Churchyard in Southern England.

Medals/Awards
During Frank’s service, he received two medals the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal. The British War Medal was awarded to all British soldiers who entered a theatre of war. St George is shown on both sides of the medal and the ribbon is made up of orange, white, black and blue stripes. The Victory Medal was awarded to all soldiers who fought for the allied nations. Each country had their own design on the medal with the same ribbon. The design on the British medal featured “winged figure of victory” on one side and the quote “The Great War for Civilisation 1914-1919” on the other. The ribbon was rainbow coloured. Frank’s mother was also sent a memorial scroll and plaque.

ANZAC Spirit
ANZAC stands for the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. Arthur Bourke OAM described the ANZAC spirit as, "a powerful driving sensation that can only be felt. It is a feeling that burns in the heart of every Australian and New Zealand countryman. A warm, tender, fiery, even melancholy ideal that nurtures intense patriotism in the innermost soul of everybody." I believe the ANZAC spirit is the unity of all past and present Australian and New Zealand soldiers and the remembrance of the great sacrifice that they made for their country.

Frank showed the ANZAC spirit by constantly getting back up and going back to the trenches after he was stuck with sickness or injury. This is shown by the fact that he kept fighting after he was struck down with trench foot and other illnesses and even after he was shot in the wrist.

Bibliography
Anzac spirit n.d., Australian War Memorial, accessed 15 March 2018, <https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/anzac/spirit>.

British War Medal 1914-20 n.d., accessed 26 March 2018, <http://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/British-War-Medal-1914-20.asp>.

Frank Leslie SOWTON n.d., AIF Project, accessed 26 March 2018, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=283658>.

Frank Leslie Sowton n.d., Australian War Memorial, accessed 26 March 2018, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1922615>.

Victory Medal n.d., accessed 26 March 2018, <http://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/Victory-Medal.asp>.

What Is Trench Foot? n.d., Healthline, accessed 26 March 2018, <https://www.healthline.com/health/trench-foot>.

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK

Died on this date - 18th April........Corporal Frank Leslie Sowton was born in 1894 at Norwood, South Australia. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 19th January, 1916 as a 21 year old Printer.

Private Sowton embarked from Adelaide, South Australia on 25th March, 1916. He proceeded from Alexandria on 29th May, 1917 & arrived in France on 5th June, 1916 then joined 27th Battalion on 11th August.

Private Sowton was sent to Hospital on 20th November, 1916 with Trench Feet. He was invalided to England, recovered & was then posted to Command Depot at Perham Downs, Wiltshire on 30th January, 1917. He was transferred to 70th Battalion on 24th April, 1917 & was written up for offences in May & June such as absent from Parade & being unshaven on Parade. Private Sowton was transferred back to 27th Battalion & proceeded overseas to France from Hurdcott, Wiltshire, rejoining his Unit in Belgium on 20th October, 1917.

Private Sowton was wounded in action (GSW to wrist) on 10th June, 1918. He was finally transferred to the Australian Convalescent Depot in France & rejoined 27th Battalion on 10th July, 1918.
Private Sowton was appointed Lance Corporal on 1st September, 1918 & was on leave to England for 2 weeks. He rejoined his Unit on 13th October, 1918.

Lance Corporal Sowton was appointed Corporal in October, 1918 (Cpl McDonald killed in action).

Corporal Sowton was marched out from his Unit on 12th March, 1919 & arrived in England on 26th March, 1919 awaiting his return to Australia.

Corporal Sowton was admitted to 1st Australian General Hospital at Sutton Veny, Wiltshire on 1st April, dangerously ill.
Corporal Frank Leslie Sowton died at 10.30 am on 18th April, 1919 at the 1st Australian General Hospital, Sutton Veny of Nephritis. He was buried in St. John the Evangelist Churchyard at Sutton Veny where 140 other WW1 Australian Soldiers & 2 Australian Nurses are buried.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/r---s.html