SERVICE PERSON RESEARCH
SERVICE PERSON DETAILS
Service Person’s
Name
Rank
Service Number
Regiment/Unit or
Ship or Squadron
Alfred Edward James Rowe
Private
644
19th Australian Infantry Battalion
Date of Birth
Unknown
Place of Birth
Big Hill, Marulan, New South Wales
Family Details
Parents were James E. and Sarah Ann Rowe
A cousin, Walter John Thomas Rowe, also enlisted as a soldier in 1916
Age at Enlistment
Place of Enlistment
29 and 1 month (Date: 10/2/1915)
Liverpool, New South Wales
Date of Death
22nd September 1915
Place of Death
Gallipoli, Turkey
Cemetery or
Memorial Name
Grave or Memorial
Number
PHOTO:
No known photo
Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey
Plot 1, Row D, Grave 12
SERVICE PERSON’S STORY/EULOGY:
Prepared by Aoife Colvill
Alfred Edward James Rowe was born in Big Hill, Marulan in New South Wales. Alfred was known to be a
labourer, however very few details are known about his early life. On 10 February 1915, at 29 years old,
Alfred, along with his brother Albert, enlisted in a recruitment campaign in Liverpool, New South Wales.
Both brothers were enlisted as privates and assigned to the 19th Battalion.
The 25th of June 1915 was a big day for the Rowe family, as Alfred embarked from Sydney on the HMAT
Ceramic A40, a secure and stable boat that delivered the 19th Battalion to Egypt. In Egypt the battalion
trained from late July till mid-August. They proceeded to Gallipoli and landed on 21 August 1915 on the
shores of Anzac Cove. At Gallipoli the battalion participated in the last action of the August Offensive - the
attack on Hill 60 - before settling into a defensive routine in the trenches. Alfred Edward James Rowe was
killed in action on 22 September 1915 when his journey which had only just begun, so suddenly ended. The
19th Battalion withdrew from the peninsula on the night of 19 December 1915.
Alfred’s parents were devastated when the telegram was sent to their home in New South Wales, advising
that Alfred was killed in action on the Gallipoli Peninsula. His parents, James and Sarah Rowe, requested for
10 additional photographs of his grave to be sent to their house so his presence could still be felt. Alfred
also left many other objects to his mother when he passed away. These included a wallet, a hand organ,
many letters and post cards, a note book, a picture, a hair brush and multiple knives. These were, in fact,
some of the things he kept with him during the war to remember his mother, father and brother in
Australia. His memory lived on with his brother who, a year later, also joined the 19th Battalion at the
Western Front.
While the Gallipoli campaign is considered a military failure and Alfred’s journey ended so abruptly, in
Australia, service men and women are remembered for the Anzac spirit and their bravery during battle.
Alfred’s journey was full of different memories and experiences; he had enlisted to serve his country as a
proud Australian and did so with much courage and bravery.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Australian Army 2015, WWI Gallipoli - Australian Army, http://www.army.gov.au/Our-history/History-inFocus/WWI-Gallipoli (Accessed 14 February 2015)
Australian War Memorial 2015, 19th Australian Infantry Battalion | Australian War Memorial,
https://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11206.asp (Accessed 14 February 2015)
Australian War Memorial 2015, Roll of Honour: Alfred Edward James Rowe,
www.awm.gov.au/people/rolls/R1666231 (Accessed 14 February 2015)
Department of Education, Training and Employment 2015, Elearn Course 103334
https://elearn.eq.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_103334_1&content_id
=_20417687_1&mode=reset (Accessed 14 February 2015)
National Archives of Australia 2015, ROWE Alfred Edward James: Service Number – 644
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/NameSearchForm.aspx
(Accessed 14 February 2015)