William Francis Cohn
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 8 May 1890 |
| Place of Birth | Channel Islands, England |
| Death | unknown |
| Place of Death | unknown |
| Age at Enlistment | 26 years, 9 months |
| Description | 5' 5" (1.65m) tall; 120 lbs (54.4 kg); fresh complexion, brown eyes, brown, slightly grey hair |
| Occupation | storekeeper's assistant |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Albany road, Kelmscott, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Wife Mrs Rhoda Sophia Cohn |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 6002 |
| Date of Enlistment | 22 Mar 1916 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 16th Battalion, 19th Reinforcement / 4th Brigade, 4th Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 9 Aug 1916 - 25 Sep 1916 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A28 Miltiades |
| Fate | Discharged in UK at own request |
| Monument |
Armadale War Memorial (Armadale panel) Kelmscott War Memorial (West panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
William married Rhoda Sophia Dawson in the Canning district during 1912. While Bill was overseas with the AIF his wife moved to live in Prospect road, Armadale.
War Service
Soon after entering camp, William was allocated to the 19th reinforcement draft for the 16th Battalion.
Having completed his training with the 4th Training Battalion at Rolleston in England on 19 Nov 1916, he was transferred to Codford to await travel to France. During his training he had one AWOL period of two days.
William proceeded to France on 21 Dec 1916 via Folkestone on the SS Princess Clementine. He joined the 16th Battalion on the 2 Jan 1917 on the day that they marched from Cardonnette to Ribemount for unit level rebuild and retraining.
He was one of the many Australians captured at Riencourt during the disastrous attack on Bullecourt on 11 Apr 1917, and was eventually interned at Gef Minden and Gef Angenenlager camps in Germany.
"Missing 11.4.17" Prisoner of War - Interned at Gef Minden, certified by Post-Card received from A.J. Carter; 19.4.17. Transferred Dulmen, advised by postcard from Bill; transferred to Munster from Dulmen, again certified by postcard from Bill who also asked "Obliged if you could inform my wife that I am in good health. Her address is - Armadale, West Australia." Arrived Hull 5-12-18 certified by List from AIF Hqters[1]
Repatriated via Hull, arriving at Ripon on 3 Dec 1918, and subsequently attached to AIF Administration Headquarters in London from 14 Jan 1919. He requested that his discharge not occur until the functions of his unit are no longer required.
Discharged in the UK on 22 Nov 1919 at his own request, and with his wife in Australia's concurrence.
Answering the Call ..Fit for Service ..W.F. Cohn;, Kelmscott[2]
301st Casualty List - Missing W.F. Cohn, Kelmscott[3]
PRISONERS OF WAR...Wm. Francis Cohn, Kelmscott, previously reported missing...[4]
Post War
Returned to Guernsey to take over his parent's vegetable and flower growing business.
He is most likely the W.F. Cohu listed on the Kelmscott obelisk (Army records confuse the spelling Cohu and Cohn), and the W Cohue on the Armadale face of the Armadale obelisk. No records of any Cohue exist and the only Cohu listed is W.F. Cohn.
William (42), along with wife Rhoda Sophia (44) and sons Frederick (16), and Harold Frank (14), travelled to Australia aboard the P&O Steamship SS Ballarat from London, leaving on 24 Oct 1930 for Fremantle. William's occupation is given as 'grower', and their address as Landes, du Marshe, Vale, Guernsey. Australia is given as their intended permanent address.
Notes
Name incorrectly spelt on both memorials - Cohu on Kelmscott's, and Cohue on Armadale's.
References
- ↑ https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1041054/document/5628723.PDF |accessed 22 Apr 2018
- ↑ "ANSWERING THE CALL.". The Daily News. XXXV, (12,805). Western Australia. 23 February 1916. p. 6 (THIRD EDITION). Retrieved 30 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "MISSING.". The Daily News. XXXVI, (13,187). Western Australia. 21 May 1917. p. 5 (THIRD EDITION). Retrieved 30 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ "PRISONERS OF WAR.". The Daily News. XXXVI, (13,207). Western Australia. 16 June 1917. p. 8 (THIRD EDITION). Retrieved 30 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.