SERGEANT ERNEST CARTER
87 – 1st Tunnelling Company
Ernest Carter stated he was born in Swaffham, Norfolk, England about 1867 the son of Samuel and Martha Joyce (nee Golding) Carter. The following may not be related to the above but have similar parent’s names and birthplace to those given by Ernest Carter.
Military experience was gained by three years in the Royal Navy.
Ernest Carter came to Australia and was working at Black Snake Reserve, Kilkivan, Queensland as a miner in 1903. He was still mining at Kilkivan in 1908 and 1913.
At the recruiting depot in Maryborough, Qld on August 16, 1915 the single miner applied to enlist for active service abroad. Deleting a few birthdays gave his age as forty years and his description on enlistment was 168cms (5ft 6ins) tall, weighing 45.5kgs (100lbs) with a chest expansion of 89-95cms (35-37½ins). Sallow was his complexion with grey eyes that passed the eye test with good vision and had brown coloured hair. Church of England was his religious faith.
Next-of-kin was his mother Mrs Samuel Carter, Sporle Road, Swaffham, Norfolk, England. It seems he returned home to attend to his affairs before being sworn in at Maryborough on September 6, 1915.
Basic training would have taken place at Enoggera camp, Brisbane before being sent on October 26, 1915 to the Mining Corps at Casula, near Liverpool, NSW where the Corps was in the process of establishment. His rank was Sapper with the regimental number 87 and assigned to the No. 1 Company of the Mining Corps. On January 13, 1916 he was promoted to Corporal and on February 1, 1916 rose to the rank of Sergeant.
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’.
On October 21, 1916 he went sick to the 22nd Field Ambulance suffering a hernia and sent two days later to the 8th Casualty Clearing Station. On October 24 he was conveyed on A.T.15 and entered the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne then to recuperate on November 1 at the 7th Convalescent Depot. Five days later was discharged to the large Rest Camp but on November 16 was admitted to the 26th General Hospital at Etaples with left Inguinal Hernia. The following day was conveyed from Calais on the hospital ship Dieppe to England and admitted on November 18 to the Reading War Hospital. Treatment included a truss and a medical note stated: ‘wears well-fitting truss.’
After seventy-seven days he was discharged to furlough on February 2, 1917 and to report to Perham Downs on February 17 marching into the No. 1 Command Depot as ordered. Sergeant Carter went before a medical board on February 22 and his Statement of Case reads:
Disability:Left Inguinal Hernia and Overage
Age:49 years
Origin of Disability:Armentieres
Date of Disability:22 October 1916
Essential facts:Was carrying heavy weight slipped and developed severe pain
left groin. Sent by medical officer to 22nd Field Ambulance thence
to No. 3 Canadian Hospital. Admitted to Aust War Hospital
Reading – truss fitted.
Caused by:Active Service
Specific Conditions:Strain
Present Condition:Left Inguinal Hernia and Anaemia
Recommendation:Permanently Unfit for General Service – Fit for Home Service.
Classification:C3 debility
Approved:2/3/17
The next day was transferred to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth to await his return to Australia. On May 4, 1917 Sergeant Carter embarked from Devonport, England on board the H.T. Runic for the voyage home and his berth for the journey was a hammock. The ship docked on July 5, 1917 in Melbourne, Vic (3rd M.D.) and he travelled overland to Brisbane, Qld (1st M.D.) The Soldiers’ Welcome was published in:
The Brisbane Courier Monday July 9, 1917
RETURNED SOLDIERS
WELCOME ON SATURDAY NIGHT
The Home Secretary, on behalf of the Government and the Mayor of Brisbane (Alderman Hetherington), on behalf of the citizens, extended a welcome home to 127 soldiers who returned to Brisbane on Saturday night. The returned men, who came from Melbourne by train, were conveyed in motor cars from the Central Station to the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital, where they were received by the Mayor, Home Secretary, Mrs Huxham and General Irving. Mr W. Bertram M.L.A. and a number of relations of the returned men were present.
List of those returned included: Sgt Ernest Carter.Article abridged.
On July 7, 1917 he entered the 6th Aust General Hospital at Kangaroo Point, Brisbane for treatment remaining until August 1, 1917. The Medical Board assessed he was overage and his hernia made him unfit for home service, recommended discharge with the incapacity for work reduced as one-third. He was sent to the Staff Officer for Returned and Incapacitated Soldiers to await further orders.
Military Discharge was issued in Brisbane (1st M.D.) on August 14, 1917 as medically unfit. The following day he was granted a pension of £1/14/6d per fortnight as from August 15, 1917 which was to be collected from the Post Office, Biggenden, Qld where he returned to work as a prospector.
A copy of his Will was forwarded on February 27, 1919 to the Assistant Adjutant General’s Office (1st Military District).
As a member of the Returned Services League he participated at the District Conference at Childers in 1919 and reported in:
The Brisbane Courier Tuesday October 28, 1919
R.S.S.I. LEAGUE
DISTRICT CONFERENCE AT CHILDERS
QUESTION OF FREEHOLD
CONTROL OF SOLDIER SETTLEMENT
Maryborough, Oct 27.
A conference of the district executive of the Wide Bay and Burnett district Branch of the Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League of Australia was held in the Palace Hall Childers, on Saturday. Those present: E Carter, (Biggenden). Article abridged
Statements of Service were issued by Base Records and forwarded to the Brisbane Branch of the Repatriation Department on February 14, 1923 in reply to their request dated January 18, 1923.
The British War Medal (12128) and the Victory Medal (11969) were issued to Sergeant 87 Ernest Carter, 1st Tunnelling Company for serving his country.
Ernest’s medals are currently in the care of Allan Limpus, the descendant of another Tunneller – Cpl Harry Morland Limpus. Photo courtesy of Allan Limpus.
Ernest was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Biggenden and is mentioned as follows:
The Courier-Mail Wednesday October 7, 1931:
BIGGENDEN
Installation: At the installation of Wor. Bro. C.E. Griffin, at the Masonic Hall, Biggenden, Wor. Bro G.V. Martin was Installing Master, and Wor. Bro N. Minchenton, was director of ceremonies. Other officers invested were: I.P.M. Wor. Bro Len White; S.W. Bro R.A. Beters; J.W. Bro L.A. Bates; chaplain, Wor. Bro E. Carter; treasurer Wor Bro W.H Braun; secretary Bro M.A. Ridley; S.D. Bro T.R. Summers; J.D. Bro C.A. Beresford; organist Bro G. Bubke; D of C Wor. Bro N. Minchenton; I.S. Bro A.C. Griffin; almoner Bro T. Summers; S.S. Bro L.R.B. Richards; J.S. Bro G.C. Summers; tyler Bro W.J.R. Nock.
He is continually listed in Electoral Rolls at Biggenden as a prospector up to 1943 then changed to caretaker, Masonic Hall, Biggenden. Newtown, Biggenden was his residence in 1949.
Ernest Carter died in Brisbane, Qld on July 15, 1953 aged 86 years. His cremation service was advertised in:
The Courier-Mail Saturday July 18, 1953:
FUNERALS
CARTER, Mr Ernest E.A.J., late of Biggenden—The Funeral of the late Ernest E.A.J. Carter, formerly Sergt, First Tunnelling Co., 1st A.I.F. is appointed to leave the Parlour, 537 Stanley Street, at 2 o’clock, Monday for Mt Thompson Crematorium. Service at 1.45 p.m.
BRISBANE UNDERTAKERS PTY LTD
Geo Barnett, Funeral Director.
A plaque commemorating his war service is located in the War Service Section of Mount Thompson Crematorium, Brisbane.