Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The only son of Robert John and Mary Wright Coombs, Kennion enlisted.  

He had four sisters and his mother was still writing in August enquiring about her son's whereabouts, when in fact he had been killed in April.  He was officially reported killed in action in February 1918.

He had seen service in France, Belgium, wounded at Mouquet Farm on August 4th 1916 and killed at Bullecourt on 11th April 1917 aged 20 years and 8 months.

From the book Fallen Saints

Kennion Coombs of St Peters, South Australia was born in 1896 and educated at the West Adelaide Public School, Norwood High School and the Collegiate School of St Peter.

He served in the cadets while at the School and after leaving was employed as a bank clerk while studying accountancy and serving part time in the Machine Gun Section of 78th Infantry Battalion.

He enlisted in Adelaide on 29 December 1915 and was allotted to the 4th quota of reinforcements for the 32nd Battalion.  Private Coombs sailed from Adelaide with that quota aboard RMS Mongolia on 9 March 1916 and was taken on the strength of the 48th Battalion at Serapeum, Egypt on 19 April; he sailed for France aboard HMT Caledonian on 2 June.

After suffering wounds to his head and right thigh at Pozières on 5 August he was admitted to 4th General Hospital at Camiers and a week later was evacuated to England.

On 15 November after a slow recovery in 1st Western General Hospital, Liverpool he was transferred to the 12th Training Battalion until he sailed for France again in early December. He rejoined the battalion on 4 December but was admitted to 18th General Hospital at Camiers with mumps 10 days later and did not return to the battalion until 16 February.

Immediately after the fighting at Bullecourt on 11 April Private Coombs was listed as missing; he was 20 years of age.  

On 13 August 1917, Kennion’s widowed mother wrote to the Red Cross Commissioner, requesting assistance to discover the whereabouts of her only son.

Mrs Coombs wrote again on 3 November and said that as many of the mails had been lost perhaps her earlier letter had ‘gone astray.’ After explaining that her only son had been missing since 11 April she wrote, if you could give me any news it will be very acceptable. ... [i]

During a Red Cross interview on 25 March 1918 Private Hurtle Flanagan of 10 Platoon C Company told the interviewing officer that Kennion had been in 11 Platoon C Company and that he had known him well. Flanagan said ‘Ken’ was from South Australia where he thought he had been a farmer. He said a sergeant in  11 Platoon C Company who had been a great friend of Kennion’s  had told him he was alongside of Coomb when he was killed in the attack Bullecourt on 11 April. [ii]

A Court of Inquiry held on 29 December found 2314 Private Kennion Coombs was killed in action at Bullecourt on 11 April 1917. 

On 11 October 1917, exactly six months after his cousin Kennion’s death, Driver James McGregor Shepley was killed in action. Another cousin, Private Stanley Shepley Coombs, 43rd Battalion was killed in action on 28 May 1918.

This tribute to Kennion Coombs was published in the Adelaide Chronicle on 2 March 1918.

Sweet is the memory he left behind,

Of a life that was manly, clean and kind.

Len of St. Peters, a dear pal.

[i] Australian War Memorial, Australian Red Cross wounded and missing enquiry bureau files – Coombs, Kennion File 0791108, viewed 30 October 2005
[ii] ibid