Pte
William Thomas Cowen
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1884 |
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Place of birth: North Creek, New South Wales, Australia |
General information
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Profession: Farmer |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 3259 |
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Enlistment date: 27/10/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Lismore, New South Wales, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 47th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Decoy Wood, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 33 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: VI Row: A Grave: 4 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place |
My story
Private William Thomas Cowen served in the Australian Infantry 47th Battalion, part of the 12th Australian Brigade, of the 4th Australian Division. On the 12th of October 1917 the Division participated in the First Battle of Passchendaele, the second last phase of the Third Battle of Ypres. The Division advanced from the Broodseinde Ridge, East of Zonnebeke, towards the Keiberg Spur, South of Passchendaele. This in order to flank guard the 3rd Australian Division, which had to capture the village of Passchendaele itself.
The 4th Division’s attack was carried by the 12th Australian Brigade, which deployed two Battalions, the 47th and 48th Battalions. They were to protect the flank of the main attack by establishing positions across the Keiberg Spur. The 47th Battalion was to capture the first objective, the Red Line. Once this line had been captured, the 48th Battalion would move through and take the second objective, the Blue Line.
The 47th Battalion moved forward at eight minutes past the zero hour of 05.30 a.m. covered by a creeping barrage. The men were tired and the Germans were expecting an attack. At the start of the attack the German artillery put down a barrage on the Division’s jump-off line. The going was tough, because the ground was immensely boggy and littered with waterlogged shell holes, making a quick and orderly advance neigh to impossible. At 5.45 a.m. just minutes after the men crossed the start tape the Battalion suffered heavy casualties. The Battalion’s Headquarter, in a Pill-box, on the Broodseinde Ridge, was struck by a volley of German shells, killing 27 men and wounding 60 others. Casualties were extremely high because over 100 men were sheltering in and around the pill-box. Nearly all signalers and runners had become casualties, thus crippling all further communication.
Notwithstanding all difficulties the Battalion made good progress and the Germans were seen pulling back from their first line of defense. No resistance was met till Decoy Wood, almost half way up to the objective. Which was cleared at 7 a.m. All seemed to be going good, but until now the advance of the 12th Brigade had been sheltered by the high railway embankment on their left. Once the 48th Battalion advanced and cleared this protection, a withering fire tore into its left. The machine gun- and rifle fire came from in and around Vienna Cottage. This German strongpoint was in the sector of the 9th Australian Brigade, of the 3rd Australian Division, and had to be taken out by then. But the 9th Australian Brigade had made almost no progress.
The men were pushed onwards as the 48th tried to secure the left flank along the railway embankment. When the 47th came out of Decoy Wood it was enfiladed by machine gun fire coming from both Vienna Cottage on the left and the German strongpoint of Assyria on the right. The exhausted men sought shelter wherever they could find it. Many of them jumped or fell into shell holes filled with freezing and gas drenched water, never to be seen again. The threat on the right was eventually silenced when Assyria was taken by a platoon of the 47th.
The Red Line was reached and the remnants of both Battalions started to dig in. However the situation on the left was becoming dire. Unable to capture Vienna Cottage the men of the 9th Australian Brigade began to withdraw, followed by the 10th Australian Brigade. By 3.30 p.m. the entire 3rd Australian Division was back at its jump-off lines.
With their flank in the air the men of the 12th Australian Brigade were vulnerable for counterattacks. A first German attack at 4.10 p.m. was beaten off, but the situation was hopeless. And at 5.00 p.m. another much stronger German attack developed. Assyria was recaptured and the remnants of the 47th and 48th Battalions were forced to withdraw. The men pulled back under cover of the railway and finally sought shelter at the embankment near Defy Crossing.
As the 47th withdrew, Private William Thomas Cowen volunteered to remain behind with his Lewis Gun to cover the retreat. There was rarely any hope for machine gunners on both sides who stuck to their machine guns, as they were outflanked and silenced with hand grenades. Private William Thomas Cowen was killed in action on the 12th of October 1917 while covering the retreat of his comrades. He was initially buried in the field at Decoy Wood, close to where he fell. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
The 4th Division’s attack was carried by the 12th Australian Brigade, which deployed two Battalions, the 47th and 48th Battalions. They were to protect the flank of the main attack by establishing positions across the Keiberg Spur. The 47th Battalion was to capture the first objective, the Red Line. Once this line had been captured, the 48th Battalion would move through and take the second objective, the Blue Line.
The 47th Battalion moved forward at eight minutes past the zero hour of 05.30 a.m. covered by a creeping barrage. The men were tired and the Germans were expecting an attack. At the start of the attack the German artillery put down a barrage on the Division’s jump-off line. The going was tough, because the ground was immensely boggy and littered with waterlogged shell holes, making a quick and orderly advance neigh to impossible. At 5.45 a.m. just minutes after the men crossed the start tape the Battalion suffered heavy casualties. The Battalion’s Headquarter, in a Pill-box, on the Broodseinde Ridge, was struck by a volley of German shells, killing 27 men and wounding 60 others. Casualties were extremely high because over 100 men were sheltering in and around the pill-box. Nearly all signalers and runners had become casualties, thus crippling all further communication.
Notwithstanding all difficulties the Battalion made good progress and the Germans were seen pulling back from their first line of defense. No resistance was met till Decoy Wood, almost half way up to the objective. Which was cleared at 7 a.m. All seemed to be going good, but until now the advance of the 12th Brigade had been sheltered by the high railway embankment on their left. Once the 48th Battalion advanced and cleared this protection, a withering fire tore into its left. The machine gun- and rifle fire came from in and around Vienna Cottage. This German strongpoint was in the sector of the 9th Australian Brigade, of the 3rd Australian Division, and had to be taken out by then. But the 9th Australian Brigade had made almost no progress.
The men were pushed onwards as the 48th tried to secure the left flank along the railway embankment. When the 47th came out of Decoy Wood it was enfiladed by machine gun fire coming from both Vienna Cottage on the left and the German strongpoint of Assyria on the right. The exhausted men sought shelter wherever they could find it. Many of them jumped or fell into shell holes filled with freezing and gas drenched water, never to be seen again. The threat on the right was eventually silenced when Assyria was taken by a platoon of the 47th.
The Red Line was reached and the remnants of both Battalions started to dig in. However the situation on the left was becoming dire. Unable to capture Vienna Cottage the men of the 9th Australian Brigade began to withdraw, followed by the 10th Australian Brigade. By 3.30 p.m. the entire 3rd Australian Division was back at its jump-off lines.
With their flank in the air the men of the 12th Australian Brigade were vulnerable for counterattacks. A first German attack at 4.10 p.m. was beaten off, but the situation was hopeless. And at 5.00 p.m. another much stronger German attack developed. Assyria was recaptured and the remnants of the 47th and 48th Battalions were forced to withdraw. The men pulled back under cover of the railway and finally sought shelter at the embankment near Defy Crossing.
As the 47th withdrew, Private William Thomas Cowen volunteered to remain behind with his Lewis Gun to cover the retreat. There was rarely any hope for machine gunners on both sides who stuck to their machine guns, as they were outflanked and silenced with hand grenades. Private William Thomas Cowen was killed in action on the 12th of October 1917 while covering the retreat of his comrades. He was initially buried in the field at Decoy Wood, close to where he fell. His remains were exhumed after the war and interred in Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
Sources 5
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47th Australian Infantry Battalion, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/64/17). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583 Sources used |
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Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10087693 Sources used |
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Deayton C., Battle scarred : The 47th Battalion in the First World War, (Newport, Big Sky Publishing, 2011), pg. 167-187. Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, COWEN W T). http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx Sources used |
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McCarthy C., The Third Ypres Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account, (London, Arms & Armour Press, 1995), pg. 113-114. Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480169 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=2c682d6e-7057-44ca-a98a-fba4f347be48 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7400422 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=64783 |