STAFF SERGEANT JOHN EPHRAIM GOODWIN
1018 - 3rd Tunnelling Company
Pleasant Creek, Victoria was the birthplace of John Ephraim Goodwin on July 12, 1875 the son of Ephraim and Matilda (nee Ashton) Goodwin. Military experience was gained through seven and a half years with Victorian National Service and in South Africa.
At about twenty-three years of age the grocer from Stawell, Vic enlisted for service in the Boer War with the 2nd Victorian Mounted Rifles as a Private. His name appears in the volunteers list as they departed on January 13, 1900 on the steamer Euryalus from Port Melbourne pier. List was published in the:
During his service his number was re-issued to 254 but seven months later was invalided home on the transport Medic on September 6, 1900. News of the arrival was reported in the:
The following year he departed for South Africa again with the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles as 1121 Corporal John E. Goodwin rising to the rank of Lance Sergeant in C Company. Part of the Contingent returned to Australia on the transport Custodian on April 26, 1902 to Melbourne. His name is among those returning listed in:
For his service as a Soldier of the Queen he received the South Africa Campaign Medal and three clasps representing Cape Colony (1899-1901), Orange Free State (28/2/1900-1902) and Transvaal campaign (24/5/00-1902). He also was issued with the King’s South African Campaign Medal with two clasps for S.A. 1901 and S.A. 1902.
In 1903 he was a shopkeeper residing at Main Street, Stawell and in 1905 was at Ligar Street, Stawell. He then followed the gold rush to the West Australian goldfields where in 1906 he was a labourer at Gwalia, in the Coolgardie district of W.A. In 1910 he was a trucker at Mertondale in the district of Mt Leonora and by 1913 was working as a miner at the Golden Butterfly Gold Mine.
At the recruiting depot at Sandstone, W.A. on October 2, 1915 he applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the preliminary medical examination. Attestation papers reveal the thirty-nine year old miner was 185cms (6ft 1ins) tall and weighed 73.6kgs (162lbs) with a chest expansion of 94-102cms (37-40ins). Complexion was fair with greyish-brown eyes and reddish hair. Church of England was his religious faith and gave Sandstone, W.A. as his birthplace. Next-of-kin nominated was his sister Mrs Emeline Matilda Mutzig of Southern Cross, W.A. He was sworn in at Blackboy Hill camp near Perth on October 11, 1915.
Acknowledgement to the District’s departing volunteers was published in:
Basic training commenced as a Private with the 32nd Depot Battalion and was promoted to Corporal on November 23, 1915.
Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 therefore Corporal Goodwin was placed for further 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.
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. Goodwin was assigned the regimental number 1018 and retained the rank of Corporal and remained in No. 3 Company.
In preparation for departure he was promoted to Sergeant on February 4, 1916.
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. His name is mentioned in the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company as follows:
“On 10/10/16 our Company again relieved the 257th Coy R.E. in the Winchester Sector.
61st Division
Report on 10th Course Physical & B.T. completed 14/10/16
Knowledge of Instruction / 1st Test / 2nd Test / 3rd Test / Total / RemarksSergt / Goodwin / Good / 4 / 7 / 17 / 28 / Good all round
Cpl / Jackson / Good / 2 / 8 / 16 / 26 / Good all round
Cpl / Pember / Good / 4 / 7 / 16 / 27 / Good all round
The No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.
His service continued without illness or injury and was issued on February 20, 1918 with three Blue Chevrons to wear on his uniform for serving two years abroad. In an audit of the Company on April 26 he was noted to be still with his unit. He was paid in France on May 30, 1918.
On October 1, 1918 was promoted to Staff Sergeant with B Section Reliefs to complete establishment. The following is the extract from the Unit Diary:
He was with his unit when Peace was declared and the Tunnelling Companies remained as part of the Army of Occupation assisting with rehabilitation of their district by clearing roads and bridges of booby traps left by the enemy.
Leave was granted from France from January 6 to January 20, 1919 and rejoined his unit in the field.
Orders were received on March 10, 1919 to prepare for demobilisation and return to the Base Depot. They left the Aust Infantry Base Depot in Havre on March 17 and crossed the English Channel from France arriving at the 2nd Training Brigade at Codford the next day.
On April 7, 1919 Sergeant marched out from No. 3 Group camp to A.I.F. Headquarters in London to take Non-Military Employment (NME) with ‘full Military Pay only’ and was employed by W. Garland, Rishworth Street, Wakefield, Yorkshire from April 9. He was taken on strength with Headquarters from that date and supplied with a suit valued at $4.55 (£2 5s 6d) and overalls at $1.50 (14s 11d) and railway warrants to and from Wakefield for $1 95 (19s 6d). His four month course of instruction was for Cabinet Making.
At St Austin’s Chapel in Wakefield, John Ephraim Goodwin (42) married by licence to widow Bertha Valerie Marie Bracquart (45) (nee Landron) of 20 Rishworth Street, Wakefield, daughter of master butcher Isodore Landron. The ceremony was officiated by Rev Charles Ruthven, S.J. according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church on July 7, 1919. Marie had a daughter by her first marriage to Ernest Alexandre Bracquart; Marie-Louise Therese Bracquart was born in 1895 at Bethune, Pas-De-Calais, France.
A month later Staff-Sergeant Goodwin completed his course on August 8, 1919 and received wages at full union rates. Mr Garland’s report to the A.I.F. said:
“S/Sergeant Goodwin applied himself diligently to acquire a knowledge of Cabinet making and I have no doubt the experience gained will be of the utmost assistance to him in the future.”
On August 8, 1919 S/Sergeant was re-transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company on expiry of Special Leave and was granted furlough and indefinite leave until recalled.
Accompanied by his wife, S/Sergeant Goodwin embarked for Australia on the H.T. Borda on December 9, 1919. Base Records advised his next-of-kin on December 12 that he was returning home. The ship docked on January 27, 1920 in Melbourne (3rd Military District).
His Will was forwarded to the 5th Military District on January 31, 1920.
Military Discharge was issued in Melbourne (3rd M.D.) on March 28, 1920 on termination of his period of enlistment.
In 1921 he was living at 55 Ross Street, Toorak working as a storemen and his wife was registered at 142 Surrey Road, Toorak.
The British War Medal (35190) and the Victory Medal (34935) were issued for serving his country to Staff-Sergeant 1018 John Ephraim Goodwin, 3rd Tunnelling Company.
The War Medal was sent by registered post and receipted by John on February 27, 1922. The Victory Medal was collected from Victoria Barracks, Melbourne on September 9, 1922.
From 1925 onwards he was at Bullfinch, Yilgarn, W.A. with prospector as his occupation.
John Goodwin wrote from Bullfinch, W.A. to Base Records on August 22, 1930 stating that he had the misfortune to have had his four War Service Medals stolen from his camp the previous year where he is farming. These medals were issued to him from Victoria Barracks, Melbourne. The police of W.A. have made a search of pawn shops with no result. Correspondence with Mr Isaacson of Melbourne advised him to apply and request that he have these medal replaced by duplicate. He would prefer to recover the originals and said it is after all efforts of the police and of his own have failed that he now made this application.
Base Records replied on September 11, 1930 that all Queen’s South African and King’s Medals and clasps and War and Victory Medals could be replaced on payment of $3.47 (£1 14s 7d). They required two Statutory Declarations for the South African medals and the WWI medals stating reasons, place and cause of the loss and he should include were due to circumstances over which he had no control. He had to attach his Discharge Certificate from the South African War and as these had to be procured from the War Office in London some time would elapse before he received them.
The Repatriation Commission in Perth requested a Statement of Service from Base Records which was sent on January 23, 1937.
In 1937 he is at Hope’s Hill, Yilgarn, then in 1943 is at Southern Cross, Murchison district.
John Ephraim Goodwin passed away on July 19, 1949 aged 75 years. Burial took place in Southern Cross Cemetery the next day. In the Anglican portion of the cemetery his grave is located at no. 258.
[SSgt J. E. Goodwin is one of the men identified in AWM image ID E01640 - Noeux-les-Mines, France. 30 January 1918 in the mess room of the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company]
The Electoral Rolls for 1921 and 1924 record Bertha Valerie Marie Goodwin, home duties, living at 142 Surrey Street, South Yarra.
Bertha’s daughter arrived at Melbourne in April 1924. Marie Louise Theresa Bracquart, 28 years of age and recorded as a Governess, arrived from Marseilles on board Narkunda.
The Electoral Rolls for 1928 records Bertha living at 68 Pasley Street, South Yarra. From 1931 thru 1954 Bertha is living at 230 Toorak Road, South Yarra.
Marie was Naturalised on 7 October 1943.