ROWAN, Andrew Percival

Andrew Rowan was 38 years old, 6' 1" tall and single. He described himself as a grazier, living at Meredin, Western Australia, but had previously worked with his father, also Andrew Rowan, a wine merchant, living in Brighton Rd., St Kilda. He already had substantial military experience, having served with the British Army in South Africa during the Boer War. He was with the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles, though it is difficult to calculate how long he was there. In his enlistment record, he states that he served in South Africa with the 5th Mounted Rifles from 1901-1912, but the 1912 is presumably a mistake: he also claims service in Field Artillery, Victoria, from May 1902 to the middle of 1906 and is on the Electoral Rolls in 1909. At the time he enlisted, on 29 October, 1914, he was a Lieutenant in the Reserve and took this rank into the AIF.

He was taken on strength with the 10th Light Horse, which left for Egypt on board HMAT Surada A52  from Fremantle on 17 February, 1915. They landed at Alexandria and on 16 May, 1915, embarked for Gallipoli. Although they belonged to a Light Horse Regiment, they fought as infantry in the Gallipoli campaign. Here, Andrew Rowan was in action for three months, suffering a slight wound to the neck in May, which did not need hospitalisation. Again, here the record is unclear: there are three different dates for the wounding: 29 May, 2 June or 15 June.

On 1 August,  1915, Andrew Rowan was given the rank of Temporary Captain. A week later, he was dead, killed in action at Walker's Ridge, Gaba Tepe on August 7. He was buried at Ari Burnu Cemetery on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Witness statements in the Red Cross files describe what happened: 'Trumpeter Innes, 422, 10 Light Horse, states that Lt. Rowan was promoted Captain and led the charge of August 6th. He says that Sgt. Radford of the same Regiment, who was in the Palace Hospital about August 7th, and may still be there, told him that he had seen Rowan die on the beach.' The statement of S.E. Hebard, titled 'Searcher' , Cairo, 1915, corroborates this: 'Sergeant Throssel, wounded, in Luna Park Hospital, and Cpl. L. Oliver, wounded in Atelier Hospital, both of the 10 A.L.H. state that there was no officer of that name in the 10th Light Horse  (he had been asking after a Captain Roman). There was, however, a Lieut. A.P. Rowan, who was slightly wounded in the head in June. he was subsequently promoted Captain and was killed in action at Walker's Ridge, Gaba Tepe, on August 7th. Boht witnesses  were wounded in the same engagement. Sgt. Throssell saw Captain Rowan die whilst being attended by Cpl. Moore of the same regiment. Corporal Oliver did not see Captain Rowan die, but said hsi death was well known throughout the regiment. My opinion is that both witnesses are credible.'

Andrew Rowan is remembered in the AWM Roll of Honour cards 145 and his name is listed on Panel 8 of the Commemorative Area of the Australian War Memorial. He had no real connection with East Melbourne, beyond that his widowed mother, Violet Elinor Bowen, was listed as his next of kin, living at Cliveden Mansions, Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, in 1915