ROWAN, Clement

Clement Rowan was born on 28 July, 1881, one of the sons of Lee and Margaret (Davis) Rowan. He was a miner, like his brother Alexander. He enlisted on 26 May, 1917 and began his service on 22 June, 1917, at Sydney. At this time, he was two months off the age 0f 36, separated from his wife, living with his next of kin his sister, Henrietta, at 19 Lansdowne St., East Melbourne. Probably because of his mining experience, he immediately assigned to the Tunnelling Corps Reinforcements and began training at the Show Grounds Camp, Sydney. From here, he did further training, first at Benalla and then at Bendigo, Victoria.

The primary tasks of the Tunnellers in World War 1 were the construction of tunnels and mines for offensive action against the enemy; detection and interruption of the enemys tunnelling activity; construction of underground dugouts and providing the dugouts with lighting ventilation and pumping equipment. After the war, they would remain to mend roads and bridges, to locate and disarm mines amd booby traps left by the enemy and return the land to a clean condition where possible.

On 26 November, 1917, Clement Rowan left Australia on board HMT Indarra for Suez.  He stayed there only briefly, leaving on 24 January, 1918, for Cherbourg, France. From here, he was posted on to England, disembarking at Southampton on 2 February and transferring to No. 3 Camp at Park House. On 15 March, he was sent to France form Southampton and began his active war service. He was taken on strength, with the No. 2 Tunnelling Company at Caestre.

Caestre was at the centre of the final effort to push the Germans back to the Hindenburg line. It was close to the major battlefields of Amiens, Armentieres, and Ypres. It is difficult to know where Clement Rowan was positioned, but this was one of the worst stages of the war, with over one million casualties on both the Allied and the German side from March-November, 1918. Because the Tunnellers were specialists, they would have sent wherever they were needed.  On 5 May, 1918, Clement Rowan was wounded in action, hit by a gas shell and then suffering from the gas it released.  He was sent first to a Casualty Clearing Station then, still in the field, to the 56th General Hospital on 19 May. From there, he transferred on to Tronville on 22 May, to the No. 3 General Hospital,  then to a convalescent Depot at Havre, before being evacuated to England on 19 August. 

On 20 August, he was sent to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth, a place for those convalescing and awaiting evaluation as to fitness to remain in the armed services. In Clement Rowan's case, he was found unfit for further duty and, on 19 October, was discharged due to debility. 

He returned to Australia and on January 1 1922, married Jessie Luders. By 1925, Clement was living in the 7 Mile Camp, Peel Estate, Western Australia, with his wife, Jessie, and working as a labourer. From 1936-1949, he had become a prospector, and they were living at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The last entry for him on the Electoral Roll is for 1954, where Clement was working as a yardman,  while Jessie was a nursing sister. They were living at 21 Wright St., North Perth. Clement Rowan died on 11 April, 1956, at the Repatriation Hospital in Perth.Jessie moved back to Sydney, where she died on 14 July, 1985.