LANCE CORPORAL FORRESTER HENRY MUIR
2604 – 1st Tunnelling Company
Forrester Henry Muir was born in Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland on 14th May, 1871.
During the Boer War served as Private 201 with ‘A’ Company of the 1st (Qld Mounted Infantry) Contingent, which embarked on the transport Cornwall on 31st October & 1st November, 1899. He returned to Australia on 16 January 1901 and discharged on 23 January in ‘good health and of sound constitution’. He received the South African War Service Medal.
Two years later in 1903 was a miner at Wolfram Camp, North Queensland. While working as a tin smelter in Irvinebank, Qld he married Sarah Eliza Rogers in 1905 and remaining there until after 1909. By 1912 they were residing at Gleeson Street, Hermit Park, Townsville, Q where he was a Lorry Driver and in 1915 are recorded living at Nelson Street, South Townsville, Q with the same occupation.
A recruitment call for miners to enlist in the Mining Corps gave married and older men the opportunity to serve their country especially in Muir’s case with his military and mining experience.
Deducting years off his age by stating it as 38 years and 8 months, passed the medical examination on January 12, 1916 in Townsville, Qld and was accepted and sworn in on January 17, 1916. Attestation Forms show he was a labourer standing 173cms (6ft 8ins) tall, weighing 65kgs (10 st 3lbs) with fair complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair. Chest expansion was 84-90cms (33-36ins) with a bullet wound scar on his right shoulder a distinguishing mark. Religion was Church of England. His wife Mrs Sarah Elizabeth Muir of 1st Street, Railway Estate, South Townsville, Qld was named his next of kin and allotted his pay to her and their children.
In an issue of The Townsville Daily Bulletin dated Tuesday January 18, 1916 published a list of enlistees as they departed for training camp.
The following day The Townsville Daily Bulletin dated Wednesday January 19, 1916 reported of the dockside send-off by his friends as he departed on the coastal steamer.
Basic training began on January 31, 1916 at the 11 Depot Battalion at Enoggera, Brisbane, Qld concluding on February 18, 1916. A transfer to the Mining Corps followed where he was assigned the Regimental Number 2604 and rank of sapper in the 3rd Reinforcements, No 1 Company of the Mining Corps.
Sapper Muir embarked on transport HMAT A38 Ulysses from Sydney on 20th February, 1916. The voyage sailed via Melbourne, Vic and then Fremantle, W.A where the transport hit an uncharted rock as it navigated out of the harbour which delayed their departure until April 1st, 1916. Other ports the transport docked were the Suez Canal, Pt Said and Alexandria. Here the troops were transhipped to B1 Ansonia disembarking at Marseilles, France on May 5, 1916. They were detrained to Hazebrouck arriving three days later and marched into the Australian Base Depot at Etaples on June 1, 1916. The Corps was prepared for duty, but the British required several areas of mining warfare and the Corps was redesignated into three Tunnelling Companies and dispersed where required.
On June 9, 1916 Sapper Muir was taken to the 10 Divisional Base Hospital and admitted suffering from Pyrexia (Fever) being transferred two days later to No 26 Service Hospital diagnosed with Measles. Remained in hospital until June 21, 1916 and returned to 20 Aust. I.B.D. Attached for duty to the 1st Tunnelling Company on June 25 and was taken on strength on September 29, 1916.
Admitted to 6 London Field Ambulance suffering from Pyrexia on November 14, 1916 and rejoined his unit five days later.
He was promoted to Lance Corporal on 1st January, 1917 but seven weeks later was admitted to 47 D.R.S. being transferred 2 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station on February 23, 1917 diagnosed with Albuminuria then conveyed on A.T. 10 to Boulogne and admitted to the 3 General Hospital on February 26, 1917.
Lance Corporal was invalided the following day on the H.S. Cambria to the County of Middlesex War Hospital, Napsbury, St Albans, England diagnosed with P.U.O. slight (fever unknown origin) and treated for 18 days until discharged to furlough on March 10, 1917. Reported to Wareham on March 31, 1917 and sent to Perham Downs to the No 4 Command Depot attending out-patient visits during April before proceeding overseas via Folkstone to France on May 9, 1917. Marched into A.G.B.D. the next day and rejoined his unit on May 17, 1917.
Lance Corporal Muir was wounded in action in the field on 14th September, 1917 and taken to the 7 Aust. Field Ambulance where a hasty analysis noted an injured hip. A transfer two days later to the 2 Canadian C.C.S. then conveyed on A.T. 24 to Rouen on September 17 and admitted to the 12th General Hospital with a contused pelvis. The injury caused no broken bones and resulted from being crushed between two Lorries.
Mrs Muir was advised of her husband’s injury in the following telegram:
The Townsville Daily Bulletin publicised the news on Friday September 28, 1917 received at her Surrey Street address:
He returned to Base on October 13, 1917 and marched into his unit on November 7, 1917.
Became sick in the field and conveyed to the 3 Canadian General Hospital, Boulogne on 4th February, 1918 suffering Myalgia (Muscular Pain). On March 11, 1918 transferred to No 7 Convalescent Camp, Boulogne then to No 10 Convalescent Camp, Ecault three days later. By April 1, 1918 sent to No 5 Rest Camp, Ecault and marched into A.G.B.D. at Rouelles on April 4, 1918.
On April 27, 1918 was transferred to England on transport B3 and entered the No 2 Command Depot, Weymouth the following day. He appeared before a Medical Board which reported the following:
His Kit was inspected and collected on April 30, 1918 from Le Havre and on May 8, 1918 he received and signed for it in England.
The Board decided on May 3, 1918 that Lance Corporal Muir was permanently unfit for general service and temporarily unfit for home service and to return to Australia for discharge.
On May 12, 1918 L/Corporal Muir left Weymouth Station and entrained to Devonport, England to board the hospital transport D8 HT Rauhine which departed the same day.
Reports of his progress were noted as follows:
29.5.1918Improving
7.6.1918 “
14.6.1918 “
21.6.1918 “
His next-of-kin was advised of his return to Australia on June 7, 1918.
The hospital ship arrived in the 2nd Military district (NSW) on 5th July, 1918 and disembarked at S.O.I.& R.S. 1st M.D. (Qld) and was admitted to the 6 Aust. General Hospital soon after. The Board confirmed the Medical Reports of premature senility on July 11, 1918 and the patient was discharged from hospital on July 25, 1918.
His official service discharge on a disability pension took place on July 25, 1918.
For his service to his country Lance Corporal 2604 Forrester H. Muir was awarded the British War Medal (14039) and the Victory Medal (13823).
On September 9, 1919 Mrs M. Smith of 43 Forveaux Street, Surrey Hills, NSW wrote to the Defence Department requesting information regarding the whereabouts of her cousin Forrester Muir as she had not heard from him for two and a half years. A reply to her advised of his return to Australia, the discharge date and his Railway Estate address on enlistment.
Another request for information on the location of F.H. Muir was replied to on December 16, 1924 stating he was discharged at Brisbane, Qld on July 25, 1918 and referred the writer to contact the Repatriation Department to assist in locating the ex-service member.
From 1930 to 1937 his wife Sarah and their daughter, Ethel Marie, and son Forrester Henry were at Ravenshoe, Qld, where the son was employed as a Labourer.
© Donna Baldey 2009/2013
photo courtesy Mrs. Carol Black
Additional information from relative J. Stapleton (nee Muir) in 2013 says:
Forrester Henry Muir vanished after being discharged from WWI. He received a pension which was stopped in 1919 because the continuance form was not sent back to the Veteran Affairs Office and they had no idea where he was.
His family tried in vain to find Forrester but to this day we do not know what happened to him after his discharge. He never returned to the family in North Queensland. We have been in contact with his Sister’s relatives in England and no one ever mentioned Forrester returning to London.
For many years we have tried to find where and when he died but being discharged with premature senility we feel that he just didn’t know who he was or where he came from and sadly we feel he may have ended up as a ‘John Doe’. It would be nice to say where he was buried.