Owen, William Ernest
No.967 Private William Ernest Owen - 44th Battalion
William Ernest Owen was born in Williamstown Victoria on the 18th January 1891 to Griffith and Catherine Owen. He had four siblings Minerva (1884), Ethel (1885), David (1889) and Griffith (1893). The family came across to Western Australia while William was still young and took up residence at 56 King Street East Fremantle (Now called 26 King Street). Griffith Owen (snr) was involved in the Fremantle Harbour construction.
After leaving school William took up employment with the Western Australian Postmaster Generals Department as a postal worker.
On the 16th December 1915 William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was found to be fit for service with the medical examiner describing his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 9 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 128lbs;
Chest Measurement - 32-35 inches;
Complexion - Fresh;
Eyes - Hazel;
Hair - Brown.
Upon his successful enlistment William was sent to No.40 Training Depot Camp. However he only spent a day there, as due to his civilian experience, William was assigned to the Signal School. He remained training with this signal school until the 6th March 1916. The same day he was assigned to the Signal Section of the newly forming 44th Battalion at Claremont Showgrounds Camp. They trained here for the next few months.
Sadly William's father Griffith died on the 7th May 1916 while he was still training. They were able to have the funeral before William departed overseas.
Orders then came through for their departure from WA and on the 6th June 1916 they boarded the H.M.A.T. “Suevic” in Fremantle Harbour and set sail for overseas, arriving at Plymouth England on the 21st July 1916.
After being disembarked the 44th Battalion were sent to the 3rd Division Training area on the Salisbury Plains and remained there till November 1916.
On the 25th November 1916 the 44th Battalion departed from Southampton bound for France. They soon gained experience in the front line in the Armentieres sector.
The 44th Battalion remained here till March 1917 when they were sent into southern Belgium in the Ploegsteert sector. The 44th battalion would take part in their first major offensive on the 7th June 1917 when they took part in the Battle of Messines. The initial attack was a success but heavy casualties still occurred. The 44th Battalion remained in the Messines sector from June to August 1917, during which time they also fought at Warneton on the 31st July 1917.
In September 1917 the 44th Battalion moved towards Ypres, where they would take part in the current offensive. However on the 19th September 1917 William came down ill and was sent to hospital. He was diagnosed with nephritis but was back with his unit by the 26th September 1917.
William saw action with his unit at Broodseinde Ridge on October 4th and Passchendaele on October 12th. On the 14th October 1917, William again fell ill and was sent to the 17th Casualty Clearing Station where he was diagnosed with debility. He was then sent to the 56th General Hospital at Etaples and was then sent to the 6th Convalescent Depot Camp at Etaples. On the 29th October 1917 William was transferred to the 13th Convalescent Depot Camp at Tronville.
William remained at this camp until the 28th December 1917. He was then sent to the Australian Infantry Base Depot Camp at Rouelles. On the 4th January 1918 William was then sent to England on leave, but only four days into his leave he reported sick and was sent to No.2 Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall.
William remained at Southall until the 30th January 1918. He was then transferred to No.1 Command Depot Camp at Sutton Veny. He was then sent to the 3rd Western General Hospital at Cardiff. William remained in Cardiff till the 20th February 1918 when he was transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield.
While at Harefield William was given a period of leave, but he didn't report back and was absent until he surrendered to the Provosts in London on the 6th April 1918. Unfortunately William now had to go through a Court Martial for being absent without leave for a month.
He was found guilty and was sentenced to 60 days detention and also had to forfeit 100 days pay. William was sent to Lewes Detention barracks to complete his sentence.
On the 27th May 1918 he was released from Lewes, 16 days having been removed from his sentence, and a few days later he was back in France. On the 4th June 1918 William was back with the 44th Battalion.
The 44th Battalion were then in the Villers-Bretonneux sector and the following month on July 4th 1918, they played a large role in the capture of Hamel village from the Germans.
William served with the 44th Battalion till the end of the war, seeing much action from August 8th 1918 when the great advance commenced with the Germans being continually pushed back. William was with his unit at Clery, Peronne and Bony through September and October 1918.
The 44th Battalion was then pulled out of the line for a rest period which continued through to when the Armistice was announced in November 1918.
In January 1919 William was transferred for duty to the Australian Army Postal Corps. From 9th January 1919 to the 20th May 1919, William was working at the 3rd Australian Division Postal office.
On the 21st May 1919 William was sent to AIF Base camp to await being assigned a berth on a ship home. On the 16th June 1919 William boarded the transport ship Ormonde and set sail, disembarking in Fremantle on the 24th July 1919.
William was discharged from the AIF on the 17th April 1920.
On the 19th April 1920 he married Kathleen Maud Hackett and they would have three children, Beryl (1921), Lois (1923) and Winifred (1925).
In 1921 The Owen family was living at 142 Glyde Street East Fremantle (now 76 Glyde) and William was working as a civil servant for the Post Master Generals' Department.
In 1932 his mother Catherine died in Fremantle.
The family lived at 76 Glyde Street until 1943 when they moved to 158 East Street Fremantle. William then lived there till the 1970's.
William died on the 21st December 1987 aged 96. He is buried in Fremantle Cemetery Plot LAWN F 0351.