Edgar Thomas Towner letters
Collection
Letters and correspondence from Edgar Towner to his family in Queensland and England, during the First World War. Also included is a pocket book of a deceased German soldier which contains photographs, postcards and letters relating to two soldiers George Augeleit and Hermann Schoenfeld.
Born in Blackall, Lieutenant Edgar Thomas Towner, VC, MC, enlisted in the AIF in 1915, and was posted to the transport section of 25th Infantry Battalion. He served in Egypt, France and Belgium. In 1916 he was transferred to the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion, 7th Brigade's Machine Gun Company and was commissioned. Towner was awarded the Victoria Cross for "most conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty" on 1 September 1918 at Mont St. Quentin. During an advance, he single-handedly located and captured a German machine gun, turned it on the enemy causing severe losses, and captured twenty-five prisoners. Although wounded and under heavy attack, he maintained his machine gun fire. He was also awarded the Military Cross in 1918, and Mentioned in Despatches twice. After the war he was appointed a director of the Russleigh Pastoral Company, and briefly re-enlisted during World War 2, promoted to major. A keen geographer, he received the Dr Thomson Foundation Gold Medal in 1956 for his geographical work.
In copyright.