COWIN, George William
| Service Number: | 27949 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 March 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 11th Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 28 June 1896 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | New Farm State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carrier |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , 25 August 1972, aged 76 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Mar 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 27949, 11th Depot Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1916: | Involvement Gunner, 27949, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Oct 1916: | Embarked Gunner, 27949, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade , HMAT Ascanius, Sydney | |
| 5 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 27949, 11th Field Artillery Brigade , France – multiple GSWs | |
| 8 Jan 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 27949, 11th Field Artillery Brigade , embarked England for Melbourne on board the Orsova | |
| 13 Apr 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 27949, 11th Field Artillery Brigade |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Private George William Cowin (Service No:27949) enlisted in the AIF on 9 March 1916 with 11th Depot Battalion - Gunner. On 25 October 1916 Private Cowin was attached to 3rd Field Artillery Brigade 21st Reinforcement when he embarked with his Unit from Sydney for Devonport on board HMAT A11 Ascanius. Private Cowin was WiA in France (multiple GSWs) on 5 April 1918, and embarked from England for Melbourne on 8 January 1919 on board the Orsova. Private Cowin was attached to 11th Field Artillery Brigade at Discharge on 13 April 1919.
George II was born in Brisbane QLD in 1896, second of five children of George (Bill) William Cowin (b1863 at Garff on the Isle on Man) and Eliza Jane White (b1862 in Donegal, Ireland). Bill was a Farmer's Son in 1884 when he immigrated, arriving in Rockhampton on board the Waroonga. Eliza was a Housemaid when she immigrated in 1883, arriving in Bundaberg on board the Nairnshire. Bill worked in Brisbane (Newstead House) as a General Hand and Livestock Attendant, and Eliza was a Nursemaid and Governess in Brisbane. Bill worked as a Citrus Farmer in Grantham, and was a Carrier in 1890 when he and Eliza married in Brisbane, where they settled and raised their family. Bill was appointed a Member of the Committee for the New Farm State School (1902), a Founding Member (1907) of the Brisbane Carriers' Association, Founding Member (1914) of the QLD Manx Society (and served as Vice President and President), and in 1920 brought sons George and Robert into the business, naming it GW Cowin & Sons.
George II worked as a Bank Teller in Brisbane, and was a Carrier in 1916 when he enlisted in the AIF. In 1917 in Dorset England he married Dorothy Pearl Sewell (b1894 in Brisbane, QLD) - Dorothy worked in Brisbane as a Typist before moving to England with her parents. George and Dorothy returned to Australia on board the Orsova in 1919, and settled in Brisbane, where they raised their family and George was a Carrier (GW Cowin & Sons). George was involved in local sports, and a member of Valley Football and Cricket Clubs, CSR Refinery Cricket Club, and New Farm and Booroodabbin Bowls Clubs, and was a competitive breeder of budgerigars. Dorothy died in 1967 and George in 1972.
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