TOWNSEND, Benjamin Blackburn
| Service Number: | 7559 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Murat Bay, South Australia, Australia, June 1897 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 24 April 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Broken Hill Barrier District Roll of Honour, Broken Hill War Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France) |
World War 1 Service
| 30 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 7559, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Oct 1917: | Embarked Private, 7559, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Melbourne |
Help us honour Benjamin Blackburn Townsend's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Benjamin Blackburn Townsend, born in June of the year 1897, was the son of Mrs. Emily Jane Townsend, and his religious beliefs were those of the Church of England. He stood at 5 feet 10 inches, weighing in at 139 pounds or 63 kilograms, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was born in Murat Bay in South Australia and was living at West Broken Hill in New South Wales. Benjamin was only 20 years and 3 months old when we went off to fight in the Australian Army. On September 4th, 1917, he enlisted to join the Army. On the 8th of September of the year 1917, Benjamin Blackburn Townsend dedicated his will to his mother, Emily Jane Townsend, which included his Military Estate, and this was done under the witness of Lieutenant. D.H. Fendler
In the Army he was given the service number 7559, and he was ranked as a Private in the 10th Battalion, 25th Reinforcement, and he was in the Infantry class. Benjamin took a train on the 27th of October 1917 to Melbourne, where he would be departing. He left from Melbourne on the 30th of October 1917 on board the HMAT A60 “Aeneas”, and arrived in Devonport, England on the 27th of December 1917. He then underwent a period of training. As he was in the Infantry class, the training would most likely involve weaponry and using it against the enemies in the war. When they were not training, they would have been planning out attack strategies and soldier and weapon placements that would be optimal for reigning victor over the enemies.
He arrived in France on the 1st of April 1918 and joined his unit of the 9th April.
On the 24th of April 1918 during the German Spring Offensive, Benjamin Blackburn Townsend was killed in action in France on the battlefield, after only being ion French soil for 26 days. He was buried at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial in Somme, France. On the 28th of November 1918, Benjamin’s father received in the mail the message that his son had been killed in action on the battlefield, and that his will would be going to Benjamin’s mother, Emily Jane Townsend.