Hopetoun Vernon Hine 1315

SAPPER HOPETOUN VERNON HINE

1315 – 3rd Tunnelling Company

York, Western Australia was the birthplace of Hopetoun Vernon Hine on April 26, 1894 the son of John and Alice (nee Snow) Hine. He served a five-year apprenticeship as a carpenter with J. Hine in York, W.A. Previous military experience was gained with the 88th Infantry for one year.

His name appeared in a list from the Warden’s Court and published in the:

At the recruiting depot at Blackboy Hill camp, near Perth, W.A. on February 28, 1916 the twenty-one year old carpenter applied to enlist for active service abroad after passing the medical examination of February 8. Attestation forms describe him as 183cms (6ft) tall, weighing 81.8kgs (180lbs) with a chest measurement of 86cms (34ins). Complexion was fair with grey eyes and light hair. Distinctive mark was a scar on the left leg. Church of England was his religion. Next-of-kin nominated was his father Jack Hine of York, W.A. He was sworn in the same day.

Basic training commenced in Area 3 of the camp until March 3, 1916 when he was transferred to the 52nd Depot Battalion until March 31st when moved to the Engineers training at Helena Vale Camp. His rank was Sapper with the 1st Reinforcements to the Mining Corps with the regimental number 1315 due to immediately embark for overseas service.

On April 1, 1916 the transport Ulysses left Fremantle, W.A. sailing via Suez, Port Said and Alexandria in Egypt. Due to damage when the ship hit a reef in Fremantle harbour in March, 1916 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.

On June 8, 1916 Sapper was taken to the 2 / 1 S.A. Field Ambulance with Influenza and after a week sent to the 11th Corps Rest Station on June 13. On June 28 went to the No. 11 General Hospital in Camiers for treatment of Influenza until moved on July 6 to the No. 6 Convalescent Camp.

On July 14 was sent to the 24th General Hospital in Etaples with N.Y.D. (not yet diagnosed - later noted as Fibroid Phthisis (T.B.) remaining until July 24 when he entered the Base Depot. Six days later Sapper entered the 26th General Hospital on July 30 with N.Y.D. Lung Debility remaining until August 3, 1916.

Sapper was evacuated to England on the hospital ship Newhaven from Calais on August 3 and admitted to the 2nd General Hospital in Manchester with severe debility. On October 10, 1916 was transferred to the 3rd Aust Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford with debility where he remained until discharged to furlough on January 15, 1917.

While on furlough Hopetoun Vernon Hine married Elizabeth Taylor Gibb in Glasgow, Scotland on January 19, 1917.

He returned to Dartford on January 30 as ordered. On February 13, 1917 Sapper was to report to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth and be transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company.

The following was a Lettergram sent on behalf of his relatives to Base Records on July 14, 1917:

Base Records replied the next day:

On July 21, 1917 and accompanied by his wife Sapper Hine embarked for Australia on board H.T. Euripides for discharge due to Tuberculosis of the Lungs. Base Records advised his father on August 13, 1917 that he was returning home. The ship docked in Fremantle (5th M.D.) on September 12, 1917.

On December 8, 1917 he was sent to Details camp at Karrakatta, W.A.

Military Discharge was issued in Perth, W.A. (5th Military District) on December 22, 1917 as medically unfit. The following day he was issued with a Military Pension of sixty shillings per fortnight to his home town of York and his wife received a pension of thirty shillings per fortnight. For their son Frederick Vernon Hine they received twenty shillings per fortnight.

The British War Medal (8128) and the Victory Medal (8094) were issued for serving his country to Sapper 1315 Hopetoun Vernon Hine, 3rd Tunnelling Company.

Recovered from his illness the following was advertised in the:

The following notice also was advertised in the:

He was reported on his choice of motor vehicle in the:

Their residence in 1925 was Randford Street, Katanning with his occupation as a carpenter.

On March 15, 1927 Base Records forwarded to the Perth Branch of the Repatriation Commission the requested copy of his Service Records.

The dissolution of his partnership was advertised in the:

In 1931 his address was Carew Street, Katanning and still a carpenter. Two years later on his departure from the district the following was advertised in the:

Their address was 430 Newcastle Street, North Perth where he was a builder in 1937.

During World War II Hopetoun Hine from Como, W.A. enlisted on May 3, 1940 with the Australian Army at Northam, W.A. Next-of-kin nominated was his wife Elizabeth Hine and his service no. was WX2598. He rose to the rank of Lance Sergeant with 3rd Railway Construction Company until discharged on June 5, 1943. According to family he was repatriated to Australia due to damage to his lungs from World War I.

Later that year he was mentioned attending the following wedding reported in the:

In 1943 their residence was at 52 Mary Street, Fremantle, W.A. and retired.

They sailed to England during 1962 returning on the ship Northern Star from London stopping at Capetown and arriving at Fremantle on August 10, 1962. Hopetoun was 68 and his wife Betty was 75 and they returned to their home at 2 Gregory Street, Kellarborin, W.A.

Hopetoun Vernon Hine died on May 4, 1969 in Queensland at 75 years of age.

Mrs Betty Taylor Hine, late of Como, W.A. passed away aged 94 years on April 4, 1981. She is memorialized on Niche Wall J, position no. 51 in Fremantle Cemetery.