BAWDEN, John William
| Service Numbers: | 1309, 1309A |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 November 1914, Enlisted at Adelaide, SA |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | East Adelaide, South Australia, 30 June 1889 |
| Home Town: | North Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Groom |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 3 November 1917, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, , Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Broken Hill War Memorial, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 2 Service
| 28 Nov 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1309, 10th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Adelaide, SA |
|---|
World War 1 Service
| 2 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1309, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Clan McGillivray embarkation_ship_number: A46 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1309, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Clan McGillivray, Melbourne | |
| 26 Oct 1915: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 9th Infantry Battalion, Transferred from the 10th Battalion and issued with service number 1309A | |
| 3 Nov 1917: | Involvement Private, 1309A, 9th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 1309A awm_unit: 9th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-11-03 |
Help us honour John William Bawden's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of William Bawden and Elizabeth Blagrove formerly Bawden nee Smith of 74 Mansfield Street, North Adelaide, SA
At the time of enlisting he was residing at Broken Hill, NSW
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Born to Elizabeth Blagrove in 1890 in East Adelaide, John William Bawden was officially recognised as a natural-born British subject who resided in Tower Street, North Adelaide. He had an appearance of a dark complexion, a deep brown eye colour and dark hair. At the time of enlistment, he was 24 years old with a height of 5'5"(approx. 166cm) and a weight of 144lbs (65.3kg). Bawden was a single man who worked as a groom and belonged to the religious denomination of the Church of England. Bawden's service began when he enlisted in the AIF on 28/11/14. He embarked ffrom Australia to the Middle East 2nd February 1915.
Whilst serving at Alexandria, Egypt, he was sent to the hospital to be treated for venereal disease on the 18th of August. On 23rd August, Bawden was transferred on the ship named D.B.I Abbasia and rejoined with his unit in the Mex fort the following day. The Mex fort in Alexandria, a facility that was important for desert operations was located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. He was then transferred again from the 10th Battalion to the 9th Battalion. Bawden was transferred from the Mex fort to the Maadi camp in Cairo. The Maadi camp was where the Australian Light Horse brigades camped with their horses. On the 1st of December 1915, he was appointed driver to the Habeita camp.
Passing 3 months to the date of the 26th March 1916, Bawden proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Forces moving from Alexandria to Marseilles arriving in France on the 2nd of April. He was then made to do Field Punishment No.2 for 7 days as he had committed the crime of being drunk on duty.
After the long 8 months of serving, Bawden had unfortunately been diagnosed with the skin infection scabies whilst in France. This led him to be transported and admitted to the C.R.S. (Convalescent Rest Station) on the 27th of December and remained for 10 days until the 6th of January, 1917. He later rejoined the Battalion from the hospital on the 7th of January. Bawden was again diagnosed with Impetigo the day after he rejoined. On February 16, 1917, John William Bawden was sent to the C.C.S. (Casualty Clearing Station). Only the day after, he was again admitted sick to the hospital in Rouen, transported to the Convalescent Depots, and admitted there. A month passed until he was finally discharged to Base. Another month had passed by when he was able to rejoin his Battalion in Etaples on the 21st of April.
22nd of May 1917, Bawden was made to move units whilst keeping the rank of Private. A little over a month later, on the 27th of June, Bawden was once again sent to hospital, but for a tooth defect. The next day, he was transferred to the 56th C.C.S. and admitted to the nearest hospital. On the 27th of July, after a month passed, Bawden was finally discharged to duty.
He was admitted to the hospital on the 8th of August with the diagnosis of ULC and was transferred to the NZ Stationary Hospital in the span of a few hours. The very next day, Bawden was transferred to the 4 Stationary Hospital and was admitted for Gingivitis, a gum disease that was common at that time. On the 18th of August, he rejoined his Battalion.
John William Bawden had an approved request of leave to the UK, in which he left on the 5th of September 1917. Upon arrival, Bawden was greeted with a sickness and was admitted to a hospital whilst in the UK. On the 12th of October, he was discharged from the hospital and was installed in the Battalion overseas in Belgium. 6 days later, he finally rejoined the Battalion. On the 3rd of November 1917 John William Bawden was tragically killed in action in Belgium. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres.