• Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, Belgium
  • cowan w k

COWAN, William Kent

War
2nd Word War
Date of Birth
Date Attested
Attested at
Toronto - Ontario
Regimental Number
45281
Rank
Private
Date of Death
Age at Death
20 years 8 months
Biographical Summary

NAME              COWAN           William Kent
RANK              Private              45281                                                                                                                                                1st Canadian Army - II Canadian Corps - 3rd Canadian Infantry Division - 9th Infantry Brigade
REGIMENT     Highland Light Infantry of Canada
                        “defence not defiance”
                        Royal Canadian Infantry Corp                                                                                                         Born                February 1, 1924 - Gorrie - Township of Howick - County of Huron                                        Residence      Gorrie - Ontario                                                                                                                                Died                October 14, 1944         20 years   8 months                                                                            Cemetery         Adegem Canadian War Cemetery - Maldegem - Oost-Vlaanderen - Belgium
                        III  F  7
Wife                 Mrs. Edith May Cowan - Toronto - Ontario                                                                              Stepson           Lorne Keating - Toronto - Ontario
Parents            Mr. Howard and Eva Jane Cowan - Gorrie - Ontario                                                                Brother            Charles at home on farm - Gorrie - Ontario                                                                                        Sister               Mrs. Elisabeth Abram - Gorrie - Ontario

William was born in Gorrie on February 1, 1924. The Cowan family would have attended Gorrie United Church. He left school at the age of 14 after his completion of Grade VIII. After receiving his education he was employed as a farmer on the family homestead.  He liked to play billiards and go to dances. 

Canada                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        He went to Toronto to enlist into the Canadian Army and attached to the Royal Canadian Artillery on December 10, 1942 with the rank of Gunner. Upon enlistment he stood 5' 7" and weighed 130 pounds. He had a medium complexion with brown eyes and brown hair. He was attached to No. 2 District Depot. Gunner Cowan then received New Years Leave December 28-January 2, 1943                                                                                        His next posting was to No. 24 Basic Training Centre in Brampton on January 8, 1943. He was hospitalized from January 19-29. At the beginning of March he was posted to A23 the Coastal Defence and Anti-Aircraft Artillery Advanced Training Centre - Eastern Passage. On May 23-June 5 he was on furlough. At the beginning of July he as again attached to No. 2 District Depot in Toronto for farm leave until August 31 as his father was a cripple and needed assistance on the farm. He is back in Halifax and on November 3 he is AWOL and is confined to barracks for 4 days. On November 15 he is back at Camp Debert - Nova Scotia and receives the full rank of Gunner.        In early 1944 he went to No. 1 Transit Camp in Windsor - Nova Scotia. While there he reverts to rank of Private at goes to No 25 Basic Training Centre at Simcoe- Ontario. On March 21 he is AWOL and is confined to barracks for 14 days and he loses 14 days of pay. On March 27 he is posted to A29 to Canadian Infantry Training Centre at Camp Ipperwash. He then receives Embarkation Leave from June 14-27. He has now received his training on the 303 Enfield Rifle, the Bren light machine gun, the PIAT and the Sten gun. Private Cowan travels to the east coast in preparation for going overseas.

Overseas

On July 17 he is Struck off Strength of the Canadian Army in Canada and embarks from Halifax. The next day while at sea he is Taken on Strength with the Canadian Army overseas. A week later on July 19 he disembarks in the United Kingdom. On July 20th he reports for duty.

In the field

On August 3 he is with the 2nd Canadian Base ReinforcementGroup.On August 4 Private Cowan embarks from the United Kingdom and arrives in Normandy on August 5. On August 8th Private Cowan is Taken on Strength with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. Following Private Cowan joining the Highland Light Infantry of Canada they were involved in the battles at Caen, at Bourguebus Ridge, at the Falaise Pocket, at the Laison and at Boulogne.                                                                                                                                                          The Regiment was now involved in Operation Switchback which was the fight to clear the enemy from the Breskens Pocket and the southern boundaries of the Scheldt.                                                                          During the night of October 13th, “C” Company moved out onto high ground between the 2 parallel dikes
which earlier had been the axis for the attack on Biervliet. During the early morning hours of the 14th there was no activity taking place. They were to attack positions on their front and “A & B” Companies would lead with “C & D” Companies following. At 11:00 hours they are on the start line and Allied aircraft that should be in a supporting position have instead been strafing the HLI. On the 14th the HLI was to move forward, pass through the North Novas and begin their attack to the west with the line for this attack being the line of dikes that they had previously cleared. The plan was for the HLI to use 3 companies to clear westward to the first line of dikes beforethe town of Ijzendijke. In the late morning they began to move and they reached their first objective without difficulty. “A” Company had a slow time on the left as they had to knock out many dug in German positions, and they were constantly under heavy enemy fire. “B & C” Companies were successful in reaching their objectives and did not meet very much German opposition. “A” Company after a long fight was finally able to reach its objective and held their ground against several German counter attacks. “D” Company was down to 40% of its manpower and there was not any reinforcements available to them. Then at 13:20 hours the second objective was achieved and all the while that they were advancing the German shelling had come down very heavy. Then later in the day the Germans made a counter attack but this was not successful and was broken up by the Canadian artillery. This was the day that Private Cowan lost his life in the field. Private Cowan was originally buried at Ijzendejke and is 4 miles west of Neuzen -Netherlands.
This was the Battle for the Scheldt and the next objective was to capture the Port of Antwerp.

During the month of February 1945 Private Cowan's wife Edith and his mother Eva were awarded the Memorial Cross. Early in 1950 Private Cowan was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the France-Germany Star, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer War Medal and clasp.

Private Cowan is honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrance located in the Centre Block of Canada's Parliament in Ottawa, on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, on www.timenote.indo/en/William-Kent-Cowan and on the Memorial Plaque of Gorrie United Church and on the Fordwich Cenotaph.
289