STAFF SERGEANT HECTOR BARNETT HUTCHINSON, D.C.M., CdeG (Bel)
144 – 1st Tunnelling Company
Born 22 June 1894 at Hillston (Booligal, near Hay), New South Wales (NSW), Hector was the son of Samuel Alfred and Margaret Louise Anne (nee Barnett) Hutchinson.
Hector signed the ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’ on 10 August 1915. A medical examination the same day recorded that he was 21 years and 1 month of age. He stood 6ft tall and weighed 178 lbs. He had a fair complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. He was of the Church of England faith.
He stated he was an Engine Driver by trade and named as his Next-of-Kin his father, Mr. Samuel Alfred Hutchinson of Corella, Condobolin, NSW, and allotted two-fifths of his pay for the support of his mother.
He signed the Oath to ‘well and truly serve’ on 23 August at Armidale, NSW and was appointed to the 12th Reinforcements, 4th Infantry Battalion
On 27 October he was transferred to No.1 Company, Australian Mining Corps at Casula, NSW. While there he was photographed with the Company.
Hector embarked for the Western Front at Sydney on 20 February 1916 on board Ulysses.
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.
Following the farewell parade in the Domain, Sydney, the Australian Mining Corps embarked from Sydney, New South Wales on 20 February 1916 on board HMAT A38 Ulysses.
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.
Ulysses arrived in Melbourne, Victoria on 22 February and the Miners were camped at Broadmeadows while additional stores and equipment were loaded onto Ulysses. 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.
Departing Melbourne on 1 March, Ulysses sailed to Fremantle, Western Australia where a further 53 members of the Corps were embarked. 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. After a delay of about a month for repairs, The Mining Corps sailed for the European Theatre on 1 April 1916.
The ship arrived at Suez, Egypt on 22 April, departing for Port Said the next day; then on to Alexandria.
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 Mining Corps was transhipped to B1 Ansonia for the final legs to Marseilles, France via Valetta, Malta. Arriving at Marseilles on 5 May, most of the men entrained for Hazebrouck where they arrived to set up their first camp on 8 May 1916.
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’.
Hector reported sick on 28 June and was admitted to the 74th Field Ambulance with pyrexia. He was transferred to the 72nd Field Ambulance and discharged to duty on 5 July, rejoining his unit in the field on 6 July.
He was promoted to Corporal on 25 August, vice 37 Corporal Alexander Angus who had died on 23 August of gun shot wounds he received on 18 August.
From 23 August he increased his allotment to his Next-of-Kin from 4 shillings to 6 shillings per day.
No.1 Company officially became the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company (1ATC) about August 1916 and Hector was taken on strength of 1ATC on 24 December 1916.
1ATC were working on the Hill 60 system, which was raided by the Germans over the Easter period of 1917.
[see on this site Western Front Units / 1st Australian Tunnelling Company / Easter Raid 1917]
Hectors involvement in the Easter was recalled by Captain Donald Yates in a letter sent to Hector which his family later transcribed under the heading ‘Hector buried alive’:
On 29 April 1917 he was promoted to Sergeant, vice 159 Sergeant Thomas Sinclair Keen who had been transferred out of the unit to England for return to Australia due to debility.
1ATC commenced construction of the Dugout System of an Advanced Brigade Headquarters in the Hooge Crater on the Menin Road at 11 p.m. on the 7th September. Menin Road was always a lively road to negotiate, especially at night time, and the spots - Hell Fire Corner and Birr Cross Road - were accurately ranged by the enemy artillery. We suffered fairly heavy casualties on this job, chiefly when moving in and out to the job.
The recommendation for award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal to Sgts Curran, Scott, Hutchinson, Sewell and Bradshaw was submitted on 30 September 1917 and read:
Hector was due his Blue Chevrons. Each blue Service Chevron denoted one year’s service from 1 January 1915. A red Chevron denoted service before 31 December 1914. On 9 October 1917 the note below was entered on his B103 Form:
On 7 April 1918 it was recorded in his documents that he had been ‘specially mentioned in the dispatch of Sir D. Haig’s dispatch of 7 April 1918.’
The sixth Despatch of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander in Chief of the British Armies in France and Flanders. This was a very long despatch covering the winter operations preceding the German offensives, the 21 March 1918 attack and subsequent developments (Operation Michael), the Battles of the Lys (Operation Georgette) and the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux.
On 16 August 1918 he attended the Australian Infantry Corps School, rejoining his unit on 23 September. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant on 26 September to fill a newly established position in the unit.
On the 29th and 30th of September, 1918, elements of the 1st and 2nd Australian Tunnelling Companys, supporting the Infantry attack on the Hindenberg Line at Bellicourt and Bony, charged with the usual Engineer tasks of clearing enemy mines and booby traps from roads and dugouts following the attacking Infantry, clearing and maintaining the tactical roads, clearing wells and setting up water points. When the attack stalled and became disorganized, the Sappers continued with their assigned tasks, assisted to re-organise the line, captured prisoners, carried messages for their own and other units, organized a party of American Infantry, helped feed an artillery battery with ammunition, assisted and carried wounded, all being achieved under heavy shell and machine gun fire and while their own sections suffered 50 and 75% casualties
The following is an account taken from My Story of the Great War written by Captain O.H. Woodward, MC+2bars:
The Unit War Diary records:
On 7 October 1918, Hector and Sgt Curran were recommended for the award of the Croix de Guerre (Belgian). The recommendation for Hector read:
Hector enjoyed some leave from 10 to 26 October 1918. On 1 November an extract of the London Gazette promulgating his Mentioned in Despatches was forwarded to his father.
Hector was a member of Woodwards’ No.4 Section and took part in the 4 November forcing of the Sambre-Oise Canal.
The November 1918 recommendation for the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal to 144 Staff-Sergeant Hector Barnett Hutchinson read:
On 29 January 1919 Hector marched out of 1ATC for demobilisation. He marched in to the Australian Infantry Base Depot on 3 February and then embarked for England, marching in to the Overseas Training Brigade at Weymouth on 4 February. He left London on 12 April 1919 for return to Australia on board H.T. Suffolk.
Suffolk arrived in Melbourne on 5 June 1919 and Hector travelled on to disembark in Sydney on 6 June. Discharged in Sydney on 21 July 1919, entitled to wear the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the Criox de Guerre (Belgium), The British War Medal with Oakleaf (for his mentioned in Despatches) and the Victory Medal.
On 29 July 1919 an extract of the London Gazette promulgating his DCM was forwarded to his father, and on 11 August an extract promulgating his Croix de Guerre was also forwarded.
His D.C.M. and CdeG(Bel) were received in 2MD in August and September 1919.
On 27 April 1920 an extract of the Second Supplement, No. 31726, to the “London Gazette”, dated 10th January, 1920 was forwarded to his Next-of-Kin:
Oak leaves (insignia for his MiDs) were sent to Hector on 23 September 1920 and he received them on 7 October.
Hector married Esther Anne Taylor at Canterbury, Victoria on 31 December 1921. Esther was the daughter of Arthur Taylor and Ann Jane Murray.
The Diploma for his CdeG was forwarded to him on 8 November 1922. He received it on 21 November.
On 26 May 1924 Hector applied to the Repatriation Commission for ‘Assistance’ under Regulation 83.
In addition to his name, rank and number, he stated his length of service as: Home - 239 days; Abroad: 3 years 108 days.
He stated that he was married with 1 child and had previously received £10 Assistance for ‘Tools of Trade’. He recorded that at the time of enlistment he was an Engine Driver by occupation and was paid £3.12.0 per week. He was at the time of applying working on his own block and was not receiving a pension.
Particulars included on the Application were:
Applicant is the holder of H.F. 23/6 Hay, and has been recommended by the Returned Soldiers Settlement Branch for 26 weeks sustenance during the unproductive period of his holding. Applicant is in possession of Cash £51.0.0, Farming Plant, 10 Horses, Plough and Drill.
The Deputy Commissioner recommended:
“In view of the assets applicant is not considered in necessitous circumstances. Submitted to the Commission for an opinion and direction.”
On 13 June the decision of the Commission was:
“ The Commission concurs in the opinion of the D.C. and declines the application.”
The 1930 to 1935 Electoral Rolls records Hector Barnett Hutchison, Farmer, living at ‘Avenell’, Ariah Park, NSW, with Esther Ann engaged in home duties.
Hector enlisted for service in WW2. Details on the AWM Nominal roll record:
Service Number:345787 (V80443, VX18206)
Date of Birth:22 June 1894
Place of Birth:Booligal, NSW
Date of Enlistment:4 October 1939
Locality on Enlistment:Surrey Hills
Place of Enlistment:Melbourne, Vic
Next-of-Kin:Hutchinson, Esther
Date of Discharge:15 September 1941
Rank:Corporal
Posting at Discharge:HQ Guard Battalion
The 1943 and 1949 Electoral Rolls records Hector Barnett Hutchinson, Garage Proprietor, living at 27 Pembroke Street, Surrey Hills, NSW, with Esther Ann engaged in home duties.
Hector’s mother died in 1947 and Hector and his brother Frederick Samuel Hutchinson were named as Executors of her will.
The 1954 and 1958 Electoral Roll records Hector Barnett Hutchinson, Clerk, living at 80 Torrens Street, Braddon, ACT, with Esther Ann engaged in home duties. At this time Hector was seconded to the Australian War Memorial and worked on collating the names for the Walls of Remembrance.
In May 1956 his service and medical records were provided to the Repatriation Commission in Sydney.
Esther Ann Hutchinson died at Blackburn, Victoria on 15 June 1968 age 72 and was cremated on 19 June 1968 at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Victoria.
The 1968 through 1980 Electoral Rolls record Hector Barnett Hutchinson, no occupation (retired), living at 11 Baldwin Road, Blackburn, Victoria.
Hector Barnett Hutchinson died on 3 December 1987 age 93 in Macleod Repatriation Hospital, Victoria.
He was cremated on 7 December 1987 at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Victoria