John Joseph Kirwan 1062

SAPPER JOHN JOSEPH KIRWAN

1062 – 3rd Tunnelling Company

John Joseph Kirwan was born about June, 1888 with his birth registered in Gorey, County Wexford, Ireland the son of John and Annie (nee Neill) Kirwan. In April, 1911 he was at Ballynestragh, Wexford, Ireland. He came to Western Australia.

At the recruiting depot at Wagin, W.A. on October 21, 1915 the twenty-seven year old teamster applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Attestation forms describe him as 174cms (5ft 8¼ins) tall, weighing 75.4kgs (166lbs) with a chest expansion of 97-102cms (38-40½ins). Complexion was fair with blue eyes and brown hair. Religion was Roman Catholic. Next-of-kin was father John Kirwan of Bolaereen, Gorey, Co. Wexford. He was sworn in the same day.

Acknowledgement to the departing volunteers was published in the:

Throughout the War years his name was listed in the Wagin and District Honour Roll – J.J. Kirwan published in the local newspaper.

Basic training commenced at Blackboy Hill camp, near Perth on November 2 with the 34th Depot Battalion then two days later moved to “D Coy” 4th Depot Battalion in the rank of Private.

Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 and three days later Private Kirwan 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. Kirwan was assigned the regimental number 1062 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.

On May 13, 1916 Sapper Kirwan was assigned to the No. 4 Section which was attached for duty to the 254th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers.

Sapper attended the Listeners’ Course at the 1st Army Mine School and the following appeared in the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company which reads:

“Extract from examination results of Officers and Other Ranks, who have attended course at First Army Mine School, ending 25/8/16.

Listening Surveying General Mining

Lieut McArdell Good Very Good Fair

Corporal Goodlad Good

Corporal Street Good

Sapper Eddison Good

Sapper Kirwan Good”

The No.3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.

The Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company reported the wounding of Sapper Kirwan as follows:

“On 31/12/16 1069 Spr Kirwan, J.J. was wounded.”

He was taken to the 73rd Field Ambulance with a gunshot wound to his left elbow then moved to the 3rd Casualty Clearing Station. Was conveyed on A.T.12 on January 4, 1917 entering the 4th General Hospital in Boulogne remaining until he was released to the 6th Convalescent Depot on January 16, 1917. Two days later marched into the Aust General Base Depot in Etaples and rejoined his unit on January 26.

The same day his name was published in the Western Australian Casualty List in the:

Sapper Kirwan was wounded for the second occasion suffering a gunshot wound to his left thigh. This was also recorded in the Unit Diary as follows:

“On 9/7/17 1062 Spr Kirwan, J.J. was wounded by a shell.”

Taken firstly to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station then transported on Ambulance Train 26 to the 7th Canadian General Hospital at Etaples on July 10 where he remained until July 14. He was conveyed to England on the hospital ship Newhaven and admitted to Chatham Military Hospital on July 17 for further treatment.

He was listed in the Wounded List appearing in the:

Sapper was transferred on August 21, 1917 to the 3rd Aust Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield and discharged to furlough on August 25 and to report to the No. 4 Command Depot at Codford.

On November 3, 1917 he marched out to the Overseas Training Brigade at Deverill. A letter was written to Headquarters at Tidworth on November 15, 1927 but the case was dismissed on December 5, 1917. Proceeding to France from Southampton on November 29, 1917, he arrived at the A.G.B.D. in Rouelles the next day. He left to rejoin his unit on December 3 and returned on December 8, 1917.

Three Blue Chevrons were issued to wear on his uniform for serving two years overseas service on February 20, 1918.

He was with his company when Peace was declared and the Tunnelling Companies remained on the front as part of the Army of Occupation assisting with rehabilitation of their district by clearing roads and bridges and defusing booby traps left by the enemy.

His last payment in France was issued on January 3, 1919.

Orders were received on March 13, 1919 to prepare for demobilisation and report to the Base Depot. The soldiers from 1915-16 enlistments marched out on March 17 and departed from Havre for England crossing the English Channel and arriving at the 2nd Training Brigade Camp at Codford the next day.

Leave was granted from March 15, 1919 and a twenty-four hour extension also granted and rejoined his unit on April 4, 1919. When he returned the following was set for disciplinary action:

Offence: Reported from A.W.L. 6/4/19

Codford 4/4/19 Was A.W.O.L. from 2359hrs 4/4/19 until 1230hrs 6/4/19

Award: Dismissed by Capt Dobson A/C.O. 8/4/19

After demobilisation Sapper Kirwan embarked for Australia on June 1, 1919 on board H.T. Somali. The ship docked at Fremantle (5th M.D.) on July 18, 1919. News of the arrival was reported in the:

Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on September 30, 1919 on termination of his period of enlistment. The British War Medal (8149) and the Victory Medal (8115) were issued to Sapper 1062 John Joseph Kirwan, 3rd Tunnelling Company for serving his country.

He married in 1923 to Jessie Marian Renton with their marriage registered in Perth, W.A.

The Victory Medal was not collected at the designated barracks and returned to Base Records on September 30, 1924. John applied for his medal which was forwarded on October 31, 1924 by registered post to his address at Newdegate via Lake Gray.

A Statement of Service was issued from Base Records on February 23, 1927 to the Perth Branch of the Repatriation Commission.

The following article was published in the:

From 1931 onwards he was a farmer at Newdegate, W.A. Sales of his ewes, pigs and hay were regularly advertised in Livestock reports.

They frequently participated in fund-raising events such as this one reported in the:

He was elected to the Committee of the local R.S.L. in 1934 which was published in the:

On November 9, 1953 John and Jessie returned to Australia from England on the P. & O. Liner Strathmore under Master of the Ship C.F. Halliday. Their address was given as 28 Exelby Avenue, Sheffield with his occupation as a farmer.

They were retired at 35 Fortesque Street, Fremantle being listed there in 1963.

John Joseph Kirwan passed away in 1963 aged 74 years. Burial took place in Newdegate Cemetery, W.A.

Mrs Jessie Kirwan died in 1997 and was interred beside her husband in the same cemetery.