SAPPER CHARLES FINDLAY
997 – 3rd Tunnelling Company
Charles Findlay was born on February 17, 1891 at Lunanhead, Forfar, Angus, Scotland the son of a ploughman, Charles and his wife Elizabeth Crane (nee Dargie) Findlay who were married on May 30, 1890.
In 1901 the family were residing at Cadam Farm House, Angus and citizens were Elizabeth Crane Dargie (39) and children Elizabeth (11), Charles, scholar (10), Agnes H. (5) and Bella (1) with nephew J. Grant Dargie, (36) agricultural labourer as a boarder.
Charles, a twenty-one year old farm hand, departed from Liverpool, England on the White Star liner Belgic on March 21, 1913 for Western Australia accompanied by two friends David A. Donald, farm hand and William Stirton, farm labourer. After a voyage of 56 days under Master of the Ship, Captain J.H.A. Thornton, they arrived at Fremantle, W.A. The liner’s arrival was reported in the:
Two years later at the recruiting depot in Geraldton, W.A. on November 15, 1915 the twenty-five year old unmarried shearer applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination.
Attestation Forms were completed and reveal he stood 170cms (5ft 7ins) tall, weighed 67.7kgs (149lbs) with a chest expansion of 84-92cms (33-36ins). Complexion was pale with fair hair and his blue eyes tested to good vision in the right eye but poor sight in the left one. Distinctive marks were described as a large vaccination scar on the left arm and a heavier vertical scar on the left cheek. Religion was Presbyterian.
Next-of-kin nominated was his father Charles Findlay of Old Rattray, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland. He was sworn in at Blackboy Hill camp, near Perth on November 19, 1915.
Basic training commenced with the 36th Depot Battalion the same day in the rank of Private until November 23, 1915 when he was allotted to the Mining Corps.
Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 and Private Findlay 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.
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. Findlay was assigned the regimental number 997 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.
He went sick to the 72nd Field Ambulance on November 22, 1916 with Bronchitis and seven days later transferred to the 64th Field Ambulance and on to the 1st Company Rest Station on November 29, 1916. Rejoined his unit from hospital on December 3, 1916.
Disciplinary action was taken for the following:
Crime: Overstaying leave from midnight 15/12/16 until apprehended at 10.30 a.m.
on 16/12/16
Award: Forfeit 7 day’s pay
Total forfeiture: 1 day’s pay (16/12/16) R.W. O.C. 3rd Tun. Coy
The No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.
Sapper was admitted to the 73rd Field Ambulance on March 28, 1917 with ICT (inflammation of connective tissues) and moved to the 33rd Casualty Clearing Station the next day. Later was transferred to the 57th Casualty Clearing Station with mumps and conveyed to the 7th General Hospital at St Omer on March 30 diagnosed with mumps (slight). Discharge was to the Aust General Base Depot in St Omer on April 18 and returned to duty the following day.
Further discipline was dealt as follows:
Crime: 6/6/17 Insolent to an officer
Award: 7 days F.P. No 2 [Field punishment] 7/6/17
Sapper was wounded in action on June 17, 1916 receiving a gunshot wound to the forehead and taken to the 1/2 N.M.B. Field Ambulance and transferred to the 58th C.C.S. Two days later he entered the 1st Canadian General Hospital in Etaples for treatment of the gunshot wound.
The following is an extract from the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company which records the activities leading up to the day of wounding:
“The enemy carried on considerable bombardment during the whole of this period and a few men engaged on road making and Trench building were wounded by shells.
On 16/6/17 the following were wounded by shell fire:-
4472 Spr Scott, T.E.
1137 Spr Rankin, J.
6810 Spr Dingle, E.A.
997 Spr Findlay, C.”
He was invalided to England on June 24, 1917 on the hospital ship Princess Elizabeth entering the Norfolk War Hospital, Norwich with appendicitis the same day.
His father advised Base Records that his address was New Rattray, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, Scotland and recorded to their records on July 7, 1917.
Discharge from hospital was to furlough on July 31, 1917 and to report to the No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs marching in on August 14 as ordered.
Three days later was admitted to Delhi Camp Hospital and returned to the Depot at Perham Downs on August 20. Admitted to Tidworth Military hospital on September 3, 1917 with N.Y.D. (not diagnosed yet) and ten days later he was discharged to the Training Brigade camp. While there his debility was reclassed as B1a4 on October 3, 1917.
On October 11, 1917 the following took place at Perham Down’s camp:
Offence: 10/10/17 A.W.L. from midnight 9/10/17 till 6p.m. 10/10/17
Award: 4 days C.C. by Lt C. Niven 11/10/17
Forfeits: 1 day’s pay R.W.
Reclassification of his debility changed to A3 on October 17, 1917 and marched out to the Overseas Training Brigade at Sutton Veny the next day and sent to Deverill camp.
He was admitted to the 1st Aust Dermatological Hospital at Bulford on November 10, 1917 for treatment of a social disease but after five days was discharged to Parkhouse camp on November 17.
The following took place while at Parkhouse on December 17, 1917:
Offence: Shipton 16/12/17 neglect to obey orders of 22/6/17 – he was found in
Shipton on 10/12/17 at about 9.15 a.m. without leave
Award: Forfeits 1 day’s pay by Major Eric Lewis
Sapper marched out for the No. 1 C.D. Sutton Veny from Parkhouse on January 2, 1917 arriving the next day. A month later on February 2 he left for the Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge, Deverill.
Sapper proceeded overseas to France via Southampton on February 15, 1918 and marched into the A.G.B.D. at Havre a day later. Left the Base Depot on February 18 and rejoined his unit two days later.
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 districts by clearing roads and bridges of booby traps left by the enemy.
In an audit of his company on December 16, 1918 he was noted to be still with his unit.
Leave from France was granted from December 29, 1918 until he returned to duty on January 13, 1919.
Orders were received on February 5, 1919 to return to the Base Depot for demobilisation to England. On February 21 the men departed from France crossing the English Channel and marching in to the Reserve Brigade Aust Artillery camp at Heytesbury the next day.
On March 19, 1919 Sapper left for the 2nd Training Brigade camp at Codford after demobilisation to await his voyage home.
The troopship H.T. Sardinia left Devonport, England on April 19, 1919 for Australia with Sapper Findlay on board. The ship docked in Fremantle (5th Military District) on May 28, 1919. News of their arrival was published in:
Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on July 12, 1919 on termination of his period of enlistment.
His Will was returned to the 5th Military District on January 31, 1920.
The death of his father occurred in the Cottage Hospital, Blairgowrie on September 12, 1920.
The British War Medal (8108) and the Victory Medal (8074) were issued for service for his country to Sapper 997 Charles Findlay, 3rd Tunnelling Company.
In 1925 he was a shearer residing at the Railway Coffee Palace, Geraldton, W.A.
He married in 1926 to Doris Irene Thompson in Geraldton, W.A. In 1931 their residence was 15 Snowden Street, Geraldton and he was a prospector.
Charles wrote to the Geraldton branch of the Returned Soldiers League asking the secretary if he could get him a copy of his Discharge Form. He advised the last time he saw his Discharge was when he sent it to the Workers Homes Board and could not remember ever getting it back.
The State Secretary of the R.S.L. Perth Branch wrote to Base Records on July 30, 1936 enclosing his communication advising Mr Findlay would like a copy. The R.S.L. secretary explained that it could not be done but that an Identification Certificate could be issued after necessary procedure was completed. He asked if Records could communicate with him direct in regards to the matter. A check that the Workers Homes Board did not possess the Discharge Certificate had taken place.
Charles Findlay of View Street, Geraldton declared in a Statutory Declaration dated August 25, 1936 that his Discharge Certificate was lost and “that he had no knowledge how they were lost but it is possible they may have been burnt when destroying rubbish”. Base Records forwarded a Statement of Service to him on September 3, 1936.
The Perth Branch of the R.S.L. received a duplicate Statutory Declaration dated August 25, 1936 from Charles Findlay which they forwarded to Base Records on September 2, 1936. Records replied to them on September 9 advising that they had also received a Declaration direct from Mr Findlay and had forwarded the Statement in response to his personal application.