Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

In December 1891 in the small town of Snowtown, South Australia, Andrew Kirkpatrick Fowler was born. Andrew grew up with his father, a baker, who later died from unknown causes and his Mother who later took on the role as Andrew's next of kin. In terms of occupation, Andrew was a bushman, someone who was experienced predominantly in work out in the Australian bush, and later became a farmer. Choosing to work as a farmer would have been due to his knowledge and experience in bush work and agriculture. Living in both Snowtown and Claire his occupation is not surprising as these were considered quite rural areas. Whilst he seemed to have a standard life, an Australian, single and still living with his mother, this all changed when he enlisted in the A.I.F (Australian Imperial Force) on the 12th of June in 1915. He was deemed fit to go, having perfect eyesight, no outlying health issues and perfect teeth, which were the main qualifications to determine if a soldier was fit.

Through the course of the next 3 months, Andrew’s schedule would have consisted of mostly training in order to prepare his body for the physical and mental demands of the battle fields. Andrew was an average height for a soldier however he was on the lighter side in comparison to most other soldiers, meaning that these months would have been vital for building strength and body weight so he could keep up and stay healthy. Due to his job as a bushman he would have had to learn how to work together with others as this aspect of life wasn’t as common for him and how he would usually work. Training was different for every soldier, so it is hard to generalise the specifics of Fowler's training. It doesn’t specify what weapon Fowler was entrusted with, but soldiers took part in different trainings dependent on their role and what weapons or equipment they were using. We can assume that he took part in the basic training because of his activity in war on the frontline. This standard training aimed to instil bravery, discipline, physical fitness and knowledge in weaponry and equipment usage.

After these initial 3 months of training, he joined the 10th battalion, a group recruited from South Australia. On the 21st of September 1915, he and other reinforcements embarked from Adelaide on the HMAT Star of England. The unit travelled to Egypt where they took part in further training. In Egypt, Andrew was admitted to the Abbassia Hospital with an infection. This meant he did not make it onto Gallipoli before the evacuation.

In January 1916 Andrew was admitted to hospital for Bronchitis and soon after for pleurisy. In April 1916 Andrew and many other soldiers from the 10th battalion were transferred into the new 50th Battalion. While the 50th battalion was transferred to the western front in March of 1916, Andrew was still sick in hospital and was transported to England in June 1916 after he recovered. On 30 July 1916 Andrew rejoined the 10th Battalion (not the 50th) in France, meaning he had missed the first round of fighting at Pozieres.

In October 1916 there are reports of burn wounds to both hands whilst looking for an officer. The report specifies Andrew was not to blame. Soon after he was kept in hospital with what was eventually diagnosed as influenza. Andrew caught it in the prime flu season, winter, and it seems that he was unfortunately targeted with a severe case. Examiners previously acknowledged that he had a weaker immune system and could easily become ill, so a disease like the flu was serious for him. He was admitted to the Reading War Hospital in December of 1916 and it appears that he wasn’t discharged until about 6 months later. He would not have had the flu for 6 months but he would have had complications in relation to influenza. Hospital documents show that at this time he also developed Pneumonia and Pleurisy which were common complications of the flu and were easily caught by someone, like Andrew, with a weak immune system. These diseases would have prolonged his hospital and recovery time, however there must have been other complications in this 6-month period such as ear and sinus infections, the disgusting haemorrhage or bronchitis, which we know he had had before. From months of pain came some good. Fowler would have been able to meet some women and ended up meeting Agnes Campbell.

Littlehampton was a small town about an hour and a half away from both the Reading War Hospital and Salisbury Plain, the location in which Andrew was living in England. It was whilst in England where Andrew found the love of his life, Agnes Campbell, whom he ended up marrying. Agnes was living on South Terrace in Littlehampton when they met. It is hard to determine how they met but a lot of war couples met whilst the soldier was hospitalised, so it is highly likely that during the several months Andrew was hospitalised, they met. Andrew was 25, a bachelor, and Agnes was 32, a spinster, meaning that she was seen as past the age for marriage. Bachelor and spinster marriages were common at this time, especially for young soldiers. They were married in Agnes' hometown on the 20th of August 1917 in the Congregational Chapel, Littlehampton. War marriages were usually rushed and planned before the soldier’s time of leave. Andrew and Agnes took the risk of never seeing each other again, and it was up to fate if they would ever meet again. Following the marriage, Andrew re-joined the Battalion on 20 September 1917 - just when the unit went into action in the Battle of the Menin Road.

2 weeks after Fowler re-joined the battalion, he suffered severe wounds to his left foot at Broodeseinde Ridge. These wounds were not battle or illness wounds, but accidental or self-inflicted wounds. This casualty had no witnesses to determine the cause, but Andrew’s statement wrote that whilst moving equipment to sleep, a rifle, that he had not noticed, was accidentally fired and the bullet went through his left foot. He was believed; however, these kinds of injuries were extremely common in war from self-infliction. The wounds, self-inflicted or not, resulted in admission to the Lewisham Military hospital and having to have his toes amputated. The healing of the foot took multiple months and he had to be admitted to two different hospitals following the initial procedure, most likely due to development of infection. 

In May of 1918, Andrew rejoined the 10th Battalion in the field and remained with them until September, when he was detached for a training course for a month. Soon he would be able to see his wife, Agnes, who he had previously married part way through the war. They were one of the lucky war couples, getting to reunite at the end, both fit and healthy. Their relationship did not finish in England.

On June 3rd, 1919, Andrew Kirkpatrick Fowler returned home to Australia with his war bride Agnes Campbell. Andrew returned missing the toes on one foot but had gained the success of war survival. He was amongst the 5,626 Imperial force men who returned back to Australia with English brides. During war he reflected the ANZAC spirit, showing aspects of sacrifice, courage, persistence and endurance. He pushed through illness, always re-joining the unit once fit and healthy and risked injury of severe burns in order to find an officer. Whilst many soldiers disappeared or just left when they felt like it, Andrew always demonstrated ANZAC spirit, despite possible self-inflicted wounds, and served for as long as possible. After almost 4 years of trauma in the battle fields he was rewarded with not only the 3 medals: 1914-15-star, British War Medal and a Victory Medal, but also the reward of being one of the lucky soldiers to return.

Bibliography

Australian war memorial - Andrew Kirkpatrick Fowler n.d., Australian War Memorial, viewed 3 April 2020, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2327804>

UNSW Australia - Andrew Kirkpatrick FOWLER n.d., UNSW, viewed 3 April 2020, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=102382>

NAA - NAA: B2455, FOWLER A K 2020, NAA, viewed 3 April 2020, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4023705>