Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

James, known as Jim, was born in the mid-north town of Laura on the 16th March ’22 the second son of William Ernest and Mary-Ann Jane Cowin. He was the fourth of six children with siblings including Madge, William David (Bill) and Audrey.
Jim was the third generation of his family to live and help create a strong local community with both his father and grandfather serving on the District Council of Booyoolie. His grandfather William was also a founding member of the Progress Association and the local Booyoolie Agricultural Society which constantly encouraged and awarded prizes for ‘things that could be grown, reared and made’. As a twelve-year-old, Jim received awards for both his pigs and poultry.
The children all attended the local Stone Hut School, where his sister, Audrey proved to be an academically talented student. Jim gained his Qualifying Certificate in Grade 7. Whilst small, Stone Hut was an important town on the route from Clare to Port Augusta (and originally a mail coach change stop for the Cobb and Company stagecoaches).
As a fourteen-year-old, Jim was involved in the Centenary Celebrations of the school, held in July ’36. Older residents recalled a bugle heralding the approach of a coach on the winding bush track, dusty in summer, and slippery in winter. He was part of the re-enactment of students ‘falling in’ at the commencement of the day attired in old-lime costumes, school bags over shoulders or in their hands, provisional lunch bags, with knuckle bones and marbles in their pockets, and girls carrying skipping ropes.
Post school, Jim and Bill worked on the family farm until WWII. Jim’s older brother, William (Bill) enlisted on the 24th July 1940, claiming to be 22 years old. He eventually rose to the rank of Corporal SX9577 in the 2/48th Battalion, which Jim would also eventually join.
19-year-old Jim enlisted on the 28th January, ’42 two months before his 20th birthday. He was allocated the number SX16839 and commenced training at Woodside, in the Adelaide hills. In June he briefly returned home to Stone Hut on pre-embarkation leave to farewell his parents. On his return he was soon promoted to Acting Corporal before officially joining the 2/48th Battalion and heading overseas to the Middle East where he served until the battalion’s return at the commencement of February ’43 via Melbourne.
Following brief leave both Jim and Bill then headed to train in the tropical conditions of Queensland in preparation for New Guinea where they would face a very different enemy. Both brothers arrived at Milne Bay early August ’43 but weeks later succumbed to an ongoing list of ill health, an upper respiratory tract infection, scrub typhus, malaria causing Jim’s return to Australia. (Bill remained in new Guinea.)
Jim was finally able to return to his battalion in June the following year. Just a month later, he sustained a grenade wound to his right ear, hand and face. Following an investigation the injury was officially called ‘accidental’, rather that it was from ‘a blast from a 69-grenade used to produce realism’. In a total washing of hands for responsibility, the report added that it was not ‘caused by or contributed to or aggravated by any neglect, misconduct or carelessness or failure to observe and act, regulation order or instruction on the part of Pte Cowin or any other person or persons.’ Two months later Jim was appointed Lance Corporal.
By May ’45 Jim left Townsville for Morotai. In a ‘Deja Vue’ incident a week later, he sustained a grenade wound that perforated his right jaw, returning to Australia for treatment before again returning to Morotai and thence to Tarakan for the closing days of the war. On his return from Tarakan, Jim reverted to the rank of Private in January ’46, spending time in hospital until his discharge.
Almost immediately, Jim announced his engagement to Mary (Sally) Bartholomew of Adelaide with the two marrying in February. Jim chose Private John Tynan as his best man. Jim was finally discharged from the army three months later, on the 15th May. However, aged 25 he immediately re-enlisted to continue serving in the army for a further two years, allocated a new number, 500705 with the Services Training Centre. His marriage was not to last with Mary being granted a divorce in December ’54.
Jim later married a local from Laura, Lorna May Venables. They had a much-loved son, William James.
63-year-old Lorna May pre-deceased Jim in May ’85. On the 5th May 1999, 77-year-old Jim died. Both now rest in the local Laura Cemetery where generations of the families are also buried.
A tribute, "Forever In Our Hearts" marks their headstone.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.