Rt Hon Sir William Francis Langer Owen (21 November 1899 – 31 March 1972), Australian judge, was a Justice of the High Court of Australia. November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. ...

Owen was born in 1899 in Sydney, New South Wales. He was educated at Sydney Grammar School, where he was in the school's cadet unit. During World War I, from 1915 to 1919, Owen served in the First Australian Imperial Force. Owen enlisted on 31 December 1915, and was assigned as a sapper in the 9th Field Company Engineers, part of the Australian 3rd Division. Owen was wounded in action on 20 September 1917, during the Battle of Menin Road, part of the Passchendaele campaign. Owen returned to service on 7 October 1917. He was wounded a second time at the Battle of the Somme on 23 May 1918, and was evacuated to a military hospital in Orpington, United Kingdom. On 29 August he was reassigned to the Training Depot of the Australian Flying Corps. By the end of the war, Owen had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.^[1] Sydney, the Emerald City, is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian state of New South Wales, as well as Australias largest and oldest city (founded in 1788). ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... Sydney Grammar School (colloquially known just as Grammar) is a non-denominational, independent school for boys located in Sydney, Australia founded in 1854. ... Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from August 15, 1914, following Britains declaration of war on Germany. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with combat engineering. ... The Australian 3rd Division was a World War I infantry division formed in Australia in March 1916 and which began to arrive in England in July at which time General John Monash was appointed as the commander. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Passchendaele village, before and after the Battle of Passchendaele The 1917 Battle of Passchendaele, otherwise known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was one of the major battles of World War I, fought by British, ANZAC, and Canadian soldiers against the German army near Ypres (Ieper in Flemish) in West... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... Of the battles in the valley of the River Somme, fought in 1918, the earlier series began with the German Spring Offensive, launched from the Hindenburg Line, on March 21, in the vicinity of Saint-Quentin. ... May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Orpington is a suburban commuter town in the London Borough of Bromley. ... August 29 is the 241st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (242nd in leap years), with 124 days remaining. ... The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. ...

After returning to Australia, Owen completed the bar examinations and was admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1923. In 1935, Owen was made a King's Counsel. In 1936 Owen served as an Acting Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, and in 1937 was made a full judge. In the late 1940s, Owen's associate was Laurence Street, a future Chief Justice of New South Wales. In 1942 Owen succeeded Owen Dixon as chair of the Central Wool Committee, and in 1945 was the Australian delegate to the Imperial Wool Conference. From 1954 to 1955, Owen chaired the Royal Commission on Espionage, the Royal Commission which resulted from the infamous Petrov Affair. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Queens Counsel (postnominal QC), during the reign of a male Sovereign known as Kings Counsel (KC), are barristers or, in Scotland, advocates appointed by Letters patent to be one of Her Majestys Counsel learned in the law. They do not constitute a separate order or degree of... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest court in the Australian State of New South Wales. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Events and trends World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... This article is about the year. ... Sir Owen Dixon, KBE, GCMG, PC, BA (1886 - 1972), Australian judge and politician, was the sixth Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In countries that are Commonwealth Realms a Royal Commission is a major government inquiry into an issue. ... Vladimir Petrov The Petrov Affair was a Cold War spy drama in Australia in April 1954, involving the defection of Vladimir Petrov, third secretary in the Soviet embassy in Canberra. ...

In 1957 Owen was made a Knight of the British Empire, and on 22 September 1961 he was appointed to the bench of the High Court, at the age of 61 and ten months. He remains the oldest person ever appointed to the High Court. Owen was elevated to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1963. He died in 1972. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in decreasing order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

References

1. ^  Owen, William Francis Langer - Service record. National Archives of Australia. URL accessed on December 24, 2005.