SERGEANT JOHN COLLINSON
967 – 3rd Tunnelling Company / 2nd Pioneer Battalion
John (Jack) Collinson was born in the second quarter of 1889 with his birth registered in Scarborough, North-Riding Yorkshire, England. His parents were George and Jane Collinson. In 1891 the family were living at Abby Farm, High Hawkser, Whitby, Yorkshire and consisted of George (28) a milk dealer, wife Jane (24) and sons John (born Hawkser) (2) and William (10mths) with John Wilton (75) farm servant and Bertram F. Wren (15) farm servant.
Ten years later in 1901 they were residing at Lodge Farm, Scalby and residents were George (38) agricultural horseman, wife Rachael J. (34) and children John (12), William (10), and Mary Ann (8).
On May 17, 1907 John, a young eighteen year old groom embarked for Fremantle, Western Australia on board the 5023-ton Royal Mail Ship Orontes under Captain J.F. Ruthven from London, England. His name appeared on the list of passengers reported in the:
From 1912 onwards John was a labourer of Trent Street, Wagin in the Williams district of Western Australia.
At the recruiting depot at Narrogin, W.A. on November 15, 1915 the twenty-six year old foreman with the Water Supply applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the preliminary medical examination. Declared fit his application was accepted by the recruiting officer.
Attestation forms were completed and describe him as 171cms (5ft 7⅜ins) tall, weighing 70kgs (154lbs) with a chest expansion of 89-95cms (35-37½ins). Complexion was ruddy with blue eyes that tested to good vision and had fair hair. Distinctive marks were vaccination scars on his left arm. Anglican was his religious faith. Next-of-kin nominated was his father Mr George Collinson of 14 High Street, Loftus, Yorkshire, England. He entered Blackboy Hill camp, near Perth, W.A. on November 28, 1915 passing the final medical examination and was sworn in the same day. Basic training commenced with the 37th Depot Battalion.
Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps had begun on December 1st, 1915 therefore Private Collinson was placed for basic training at the Helena Vale camp at Blackboy Hill, W.A. with the newly forming Corps. The Unit’s title was the No.3 Company with a major portion of No.3 Company recruited by 2nd Lt. L.J. Coulter, A.I.F. who was sent from N.S.W. to W.A. for that purpose. They were made up to strength with 1 Officer and 274 Other Ranks and embarked from Fremantle, W.A.
Acknowledgement to the Narrogin district volunteers was published in:
On December 18, 1915 the company sailed for Sydney, NSW on board the troopship SS Indarra. His name appears on the passenger list which was published in:
On Boxing Day (Dec 26th), 1915 the Unit arrived in Sydney and marched into Casula Camp, near Liverpool, NSW. They were joined by the 4th Section of the Tasmanian Miners, bringing the establishment strength up to 15 officers and 349 Other Ranks under the command of 2nd Lieutenant L.J. Coulter.
Mining Corps Units from all Military districts came together at Casula camp, near Liverpool, NSW to complete training as a Corps. Collinson was assigned the regimental number 967 in the rank of Sapper and remained in No. 3 Company.
At a civic parade in the Domain, Sydney on Saturday February 19, 1916, a large crowd of relations and friends of the departing Miners lined the four sides of the parade ground. Sixty police and 100 Garrison Military Police were on hand to keep the crowds within bounds. The scene was an inspiriting one. On the extreme right flank, facing the saluting base, were companies of the Rifle Club School; next came a detachment of the 4th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, then the bands of the Light Horse, Liverpool Depot, and the Miners’ on the left, rank upon rank, the Miners’ Battalion.
The Corps boarded HMAT A38 Ulysses in Sydney, NSW on February 20 and sailed for the European theatre. Arriving in Melbourne, Victoria on February 22 the Miners camped at Broadmeadows for a stay of 7 days while further cargo was loaded.
Another parade was held at the Broadmeadows camp on March 1, the Miners’ Corps being inspected by the Governor-General, as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth military forces.
Leaving Melbourne on March 1, Ulysses arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia on March 7 where a further 53 members were taken on board.
On Wednesday March 8, 1916 the whole force, with their band and equipment, paraded at Fremantle prior to leaving Victoria Quay at 9.30 o’clock.
The ship hit a reef when leaving Fremantle harbour, stripping the plates for 40 feet and, although there was a gap in the outside plate, the inner bilge plates were not punctured. The men on board nicknamed her ‘Useless’. The Miners were off-loaded and sent to the Blackboy Hill Camp where further training was conducted.
The Mining Corps comprised 1303 members at the time they embarked with a Headquarters of 40; No.1 Company – 390; No.2 Company – 380; No.3 Company – 392, and 101 members of the 1st Reinforcements.
Finally departing Fremantle on April 1, Ulysses voyaged via Suez, Port Said and Alexandria in Egypt. The Captain of the shipwas reluctantto take Ulysses out of the Suez Canal because he felt the weight of the ship made it impossible to manoeuvre in the situation of a submarine attack. The troops were transhipped to HM Transport B.1 Ansonia, then on to Valetta, Malta before disembarking at Marseilles, France on May 5, 1916. As a unit they entrained at Marseilles on May 7 and detrained on May 11 at Hazebrouck.
A ‘Mining Corps’ did not fit in the British Expeditionary Force, and the Corps was disbanded and three Australian Tunnelling Companies were formed. The Technical Staff of the Corps Headquarters, plus some technically qualified men from the individual companies, was formed into the entirely new Australian Electrical and Mechanical Mining and Boring Company (AEMMBC), better known as the ‘Alphabetical Company’.
Four sections of the No. 3 Company were dispersed to various sectors for instructional training. These four sections re-combined to relieve the 255th Coy, Royal Engineers in the mining sector that included existing mine systems of Red Lamp; Winchester; Colvin; Ducks Bill and Sign Post Lane.
He was promoted to be Corporal in the field on August 18, 1916.
The No.3 Company officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.
Corporal was slightly wounded on January 21, 1917 but remained on duty. The following extract is taken from the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company and explains the circumstances of his wounding:
A further extract of the Unit Diary during February, 1917 stated the following:
He left the 3rd Tunnelling Company on March 2, 1917 for the 2nd Aust Pioneer Battalion and was taken on strength on March 5 with the company.
On May 23, 1917 he went sick to the 7th Aust Field Ambulance then sent to the 61st Casualty Clearing Station later that day with suspected Rose Measles (form of Rubella, highly contagious). He was conveyed on the Ambulance Train on May 28 and admitted the next day to the 11th Stationary Hospital at Rouen with Trench Fever. Diagnosed on June 1 with P.U.O. (pyrexia (fever) uncertain origin) was sent to the 2nd Convalescent Depot there. On June 6 was moved to the 11th Convalescent Depot at Bucky.
He was discharged to the 2nd Aust Divisional Base Depot at Havre on June 29, 1917 and assessed to have an ‘A’ class debility. After a month he marched out to return to his unit on July 30 and rejoined the next day.
He was appointed Lance Sergeant on August 20 and promoted to the rank of Sergeant on September 15, 1917 due to Sergeant Fraser being killed in action.
Wounded in action on September 29, 1917 received gunshot wounds to his leg and arm and taken to the 3rd Aust Field Ambulance. On October 2 he was moved to the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station then transferred on Ambulance Train to the 2nd Aust General Hospital at Rouen.
He was reported to have Died of Wounds on November 1, 1917 in Wimereux but this was later corrected by Cable to have ‘not died.’
On the hospital ship Princess Elizabeth Sergeant was evacuated to England on November 4 and admitted to the Red Cross Hospital at Christchurch affiliated with Alexandria Hospital, Cosham the next day for treatment of the severe wounds to his right arm and thigh.
The Notification of Death was dated November 10, 1917 but later changed to severely wounded. His name appeared in the Casualty List published in:
Notices of his progress were issued to his father from Base Records on December 4, 1917 and January 5 and 9, 1918 stating he was ‘progressing favourably.’
Sergeant was transferred on March 19, 1918 to the 3rd Aust Auxiliary Hospital.
On April 8, 1918 Sergeant Collinson embarked for Australia for a change due to a bomb wound to his right elbow on the H.T. Dunluce Castle. He was transhipped to the Hospital Ship Karoola departing the Suez on April 27, 1918. The ship docked in Fremantle (5th Military District) on May 20, 1918. A List of disembarking soldiers was published in:
He was admitted to the No. 8 Aust General Hospital in Fremantle, W.A.
His return to Western Australia was announced in the following newspaper:
While recuperating he became engaged with the announcement appearing in:
A week after Peace was declared Sergeant’s Military Discharge was issued in Perth, W.A. (5th M.D.) on November 18, 1918 as medically unfit due to wounding.
He married later in 1918 to Alma Collier in Perth, W.A. and made their home at Wagin, W.A. He was a horse trainer in the district with his name mentioned at race meetings in the newspapers.
The following incident was reported in the:
They moved to Lake Grace district and a Statement of his Service was requested by the Perth Branch of the Repatriation Commission and forwarded by Base Records on May 24, 1927. The same year this news item was printed in the:
In 1931 they are registered at Lake Grace with his occupation given as Secretary, Roads Board. A year later his appointment as a representative dealer was announced in the:
He is mentioned at a meeting in his role as Road Board secretary which was printed in the:
Jack was also a local member of the Returned Services League and represented the district at Committee meetings reported in the local newspaper:
The notice of dissolution of his partnership was advertised in the Perth newspaper as follows:
The Collinson’s relocated to Perth and were registered residing at 18 Thomas Street, South Fremantle with his occupation as trainer from 1943 onwards.
The following article appeared in the:
A report from the Traffic Court mentioned him and reported by:
News of his visit to hospital was mentioned in:
The public notification in conjunction with issuing a new Certificate of Title was advertised in:
John (Jack) Collinson passed away on December 5, 1968 aged 74 years. Interment took place in the Anglican portion of the Fremantle Cemetery within monumental section A7 in gravesite no. 16.
Mrs Alma Collinson died on May 1, 1990 at 92 years of age and was buried in the same gravesite.
© Donna Baldey 2015