MCGOWN, Alfred George
| Service Number: | 3165 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Surry Hills, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Fitter |
| Died: | Killed in action, Flers, France, 5 November 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Bulls Road Cemetery, Flers Plot I, Row B, Grave No. 10. TOO DEARLY LOVED TO BE FORGOTTEN |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3165, 18th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 3165, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 3165, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 5 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 3165, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3165 awm_unit: 3 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-11-05 |
Help us honour Alfred George McGown's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Alfred was the son of John and Mary McGown, of Surry Hills, New South Wales. The mother, Mary, passed away in Sydney on 30 November 1915, and their father, John McGown, died during January 1920.
His younger brother, 3855 Sapper Walter Carrington McGown 15th Field Company Engineers, was killed in action in Belgium on 26 September 1917, at 19 years of age. Another older brother, 3967 Pte. John McGowan 19th Battalion AIF, was severely wounded in October 1916. He was returned to Australia with a gunshot wound to the leg during September 1917.
A nephew of the three McGown brothers, also of Surry Hills, 3899 Pte. Alfred Robinson 4th Battalion AIF, was also killed in action at Pozieres.
Alfred enlisted at 21 years of age during July 1915, and his mother passed away three months later, before he was sent overseas.
Alfred was posted to the 3rd Battalion in Egypt in early 1916 and was killed in action at Flers, on 5 November 1916, along with ten others of the 3rd Battalion. He was buried in the Bulls Road Cemetery at Flers. Walter’s eldest brother, William McGown, received his medals and entitlements.
The two McGown brothers who lost their lives during WW1 have memorial plaques on the graves of their parents in Waverly Cemetery in Sydney. Albert’s reads, “A tribute of loving memory of Pte. Alfred George McGown 3rd Batt. A.I.F. Killed in action on the Somme 5th Nov. 1916. Aged 22 years. “His smiling face so noble and brave, He is sleeping now in a hero’s grave. At Rest”
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