S68889
MCDOWELL, Harold Leonard
| Service Number: | 242 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 June 1915, at Keswick, South Australia |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 8th Training Battalion |
| Born: | Port Augusta, South Australia, July 1895 |
| Home Town: | Gawler, Gawler, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Civil Servant |
| Died: | 11 December 1967, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia Derrick Gardens, Path 5, Grave 472A |
| Memorials: | Gawler Council Gawler Men Who Answered the Call WW1 Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 242, 32nd Infantry Battalion, at Keswick, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 242, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 18 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 242, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 242, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) | |
| 1 Aug 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sergeant, 8th Training Battalion | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sergeant, 242, 8th Training Battalion |
Help us honour Harold Leonard McDowell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Harold Leonard McDowell, born in approximately July 1895, enlisted on the 6th of June, 1915 to join the 32nd Australian Infantry Battalion bound for The Western Front.
The unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A2 Geelong on the 18th of November, 1915.
The 32nd Battalion (Headquarters, Signallers, A, B, C, and D Companies) embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on two ships, HMAT A2 'Geelong', on November 18th, 1915, and HMAT A13 'Katuna', on November 24th, 1915. The Embarkation Roll does not distinguish between these ships, and it is therefore not possible from the Embarkation Roll to ascertain on which ship an individual embarked.
Entering as a Private, Harold McDowell previously served in Egypt. The 32nd Battalion fought its first major battle at Fromelles on 19 July 1916, having only entered the front-line trenches 3 days previously. On the 3rd of September, 1916 McDowell was promoted to sergeant. In July 1917 he was detached to training units in England, and served there for the remainder of the war.
A marriage document from 2/1/1919 described the marriage of Harold Leonard McDowell and Lilian Daisy Swain.
Harold was 24 at the signing of the official marriage document and Lilian, 21. Lillian was living in Dunstable, Bedford, during the time of their marriage while Harold moved to the 5th Div. Sig School after his decommissioning from the ending of World War 1. Lilian was unoccupied while Harold put his occupation down as a soldier.
The two were married by Rev. E.L. Metcalfe and married on the 26th of December 1918.