Hugh Cowdell (SN 199) born in Ballarat, was a 27 year old draper when he enlisted in Ballarat on August 19th 1914. Assigned to the 8th Infantry Battalion, he embarked on October 21st aboard the Benalla and sailed to Egypt before landing at Gallipoli. On May 4th 1915 he suffered a mild gunshot wound to his left leg and was evacuated to hospital at Malta, rejoining his unit three weeks later. After Gallipoli, his battalion moved to the Western Front in April 1916. In September 1917 at Ypres in Belgium, he suffered another gunshot wound to his left leg, this time severe. He was evacuated to hospital in England before being returned to Australia aboard the Hospital Ship Malta. He disembarked at Melbourne on September 28th 1918 and was discharged medically unfit on December 17th.