ROWLING , Walter Liscombe
| Service Number: | 981 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 March 1916, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 38th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Balranald, New South Wales, Australia, 28 January 1896 |
| Home Town: | Balranald, Balranald, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Brunswick College, Melbourne and St Peter's College, Adelaide |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 4 October 1917, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" No known grave, Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Balranald War Memorial, Hackney St Peter's College Fallen Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 981, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 981, 38th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Runic embarkation_ship_number: A54 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Corporal, 981, 38th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Runic, Melbourne | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 981, 38th Infantry Battalion, Broodseinde Ridge, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 981 awm_unit: 38th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1917-10-04 |
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From the book Fallen Saints
Walter Liscombe Rowling (Foster-Rowling) was born at Balranald, New South Wales in 1896 and educated at Brunswick College in Melbourne, Victoria then in 1909-1912 attended the Collegiate School of St Peter in Adelaide.
According to Mr Robert Fisher, archivist at St Peter’s College the reason the Saint Peter’s College Roll of Honour now shows the name ‘Foster-Rowling’ is because after a major fire destroyed the original honour boards in 1985, the School Council decided to list all names on the new honour boards as their relatives requested.
On 8 March 1916, when he enlisted for service abroad, 981 Corporal Walter Liscombe Rowling was a clerical officer and serving part time in the 29th Light Horse, (Port Phillip Horse). He embarked from Melbourne with C Company 38th Battalion, Victoria aboard the HMAT Runic on 20 June 1916.
The 38th Battalion was formed on 1 March 1916 at a camp established on the Epsom Racecourse at Bendigo in Victoria. Early training was disrupted by a severe outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis in the camp and all healthy men were transferred to a camp at Campbellfield, where the Battalion had to be rebuilt from fresh reinforcements.
After training in Australia and Britain, the battalion sailed for France in November 1916 and moved into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 1 December.
During the harsh winter of 1916–17 the 3rd Division was heavily involved in the raiding of German trenches and in February 1917 the 38th provided 400 men, with a similar sized party from the 37th Battalion, to form a special "raiding battalion”.
After several weeks of training this composite “battalion” staged a single 35-minute raid on the evening of 27 February and was then disbanded.
The 38th Battalion fought at Messines, Belgium, between 7–9 June 1917, Broodseinde on 4 October, and it was there on 4 October that Sergeant Walter Liscombe Rowling, was killed in action; he was 21 years of age.
Witness Statements.[i]
In a letter to the Red Cross Secretary dated 27 March 1918, Lieutenant Philip Herring, 38th Battalion stated he buried Sergeant Rowling, on 5 August 1917 somewhere between Ypres and Passchendaele. Clearly the officer was confused about the month given Rowling was killed during the Battle for Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October, however it was not unusual for men to confuse days ,weeks and even months after a long period of time and more especially so if they were shell shocked or had been themselves wounded at a later date. According to Herring Rowling was buried where he had been fighting. He is buried in a shell hole and it would be almost impossible now to identify his grave. He was not buried in a cemetery. From the nature of his injuries he must have been killed instantly as half his head was shot off. He was a man of, I should say, 24 years of age, (actually only 21 years of age) 5ft 10 ins clean shave, fair and of medium build and one of the bravest fellows I have ever seen. I distinctly remember burying him as he belonged to my own company, and there can be no doubt as to his identity.
During a Red Cross interview conducted on 20 February 1918 Private Harry Thomas Smith of Hut 9, C Company, 38th Battalion Westham, England, made the following statement.
Sgt Rowling of C. Coy, (Acting S/M) on that date, hopped over to tackle a pill box, with 3 men and was shot through the head and killed instantly. I saw him “go down” but I can’t say as to burial. I was with the Engineers and went up with the battalion.
[i] Australian War Memorial, Australian Red Cross wounded and missing enquiry bureau files, Walter Liscombe Rowling / 22370709S, viewed 24 November 2005
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