LIEUTENANT HERBERT JOHNS REDMOND
9570 – 2nd Tunnelling Company
Herbert Johns Redmond was born in Charters Towers, Queensland in 1891 the son of Dr Leonard and Elizabeth Ann (Johns) Redmond. He was educated at Toby Martin’s Grammar School and his initial military experience was 8 months training with the Senior Cadets. He studied at the Charters Towers School of Mines gaining the following Diplomas.
1910 Associate Metallurgy Chemistry & Assaying
1911 Associate of Mining Engineering
1911 Associate of Metallurgical Engineering
Herbert worked as an assayer for a time in Charters Towers, Qld and then a Surveyor at Mount Perry, Qld.
At 25 years of age on September 5, 1916 he left his occupation as a Mining and Motor Agent and Mining Engineer and enlisted at the Charters Towers Town Hall passing his medical examination the same day.
His Attestation form reveals he was 179cms (5ft 10ins) tall, weighing 74 kgs (163lbs), with a 95cm chest. He possessed a ruddy complexion with blue eyes and light brown hair and was dentally fit. His next of kin was his father Dr Leonard Redmond of Hodgkinson Street, Charters Towers and was of the Church of England faith.
Herbert was officially sworn in on October 5, 1916 and began basic military training at the 11th Depot Battalion, Enoggera, Queensland on October 10, 1916. He moved to the 7th Reinforcements for the Pioneer Battalion from October 15 until October 30, 1916 then progressed the next day to the Reserve Reinforcements until December 3rd. He spent time as a Sapper with the Engineers from December 6, 1916 until February 24, 1917 then engaged in the 2nd Military District with the Engineer Reinforcements from February 25, to March 31, 1917. He rose to the rank of Acting Corporal on April 1 and attended the Engineer Officers’ Training school at Roseville, New South Wales being promoted to Acting Sergeant.
The Northern Miner reported the following news:
From Roseville he was transferred to the Technical Battalion Bendigo, Victoria from September 25, 1917 to February 23, 1918. His sent his father the following telegram and reprinted in:
Sergeant Redmond was transferred to the Miners July Reinforcements on February 23, 1918 as preparations were being made at their Seymour Camp, Victoria for embarkation.
He departed aboard the transport HMAT A71 Nestor from Melbourne, Victoria on February 28, 1918.
The ship sailed via Colon, Newport News and Halifax, before terminating on April 20, 1918 at Liverpool, England. The men were detrained at Tidworth and he was promoted to E.D.P Sergeant at Parkhouse Camp. By May 14 he reverted to Sapper and proceeded overseas via Southampton to France with the Reinforcements to the Aust. Corps Depot. By May 15 he marched in to Rouelles and on May 25, 1918 he was taken on strength with the 2nd Tunnelling Company.
The A.I.F. in London issued the following around July 10, 1918:
Recommended by the Department of Defence for consideration for Commission, in view of his having qualified for a commission at an Officer’s School in Australia.
The recommendation came through on August 13, 1918 for Sergeant Redmond to be 2nd Lieutenant and was recommended for duty with a British Tunnelling Company and was posted with the 251st Tunnelling Company, R.E. for Temporary Duty on August 29, 1918.
The Unit Diary for the 2nd Tunnelling Company recorded the following entries:
“Authority 31/485 dated 11/8/18
Authority was given by the D.A.G. A.I.F. for the following promotions and appointments to 2nd Lieutenants
No 9573Cpl A.W. SKERRITT
No 6981Cpl C.R. MACKENZIE
No 9570Spr H.J. REDMOND
29/8/182/Lieuts A.W. SKERRITT, C.R. MACKENZIE, H.J. REDMOND received orders to report to Nos 173, 250 and 251 Tunnelling Coys R.E. respectively.”
His letter was printed in the Late War column of the local newspaper. It reads:
After the Armistice on November 13, 1918 he remained 2nd Lieutenant and it wasn’t until March 6, 1919 that Lt Redmond returned from the 133rd Tunnelling Company to rejoin the 2nd Aust. Tunnelling Company when two days later he ceased to be 2nd Lieutenant.
From April 12 to 27th, 1919 was on Leave to Paris and rejoined his unit the following day. He marched out on May 23 to the Aust. Base Depot and seven days later left for the United Kingdom. The next day marched into the No 2 Group, England after returning from France.
Appearing in the Today column were extracts from a letter home:
He returned to Australia on the transport H.T. Argylshire which embarked from Liverpool on August 2nd, 1919.
His next of kin were notified of his return to Australian a month later on September 2, 1919.
He arrived in the 3rd Military District on September 22, 1919 and then travelled by rail to the 1st Military District where his Appointment was terminated on October 17, 1919. For his service abroad Lieutenant 9570 Herbert J. Redmond received the British War Medal (32951) and the Victory Medal (30869).
In February, 1925 as a member of the Tunnellers Old Comrades Association, the address of H.J. Redmond, Lieutenant in the 2nd Aust. Company and British 251st Company was given as c/o E.Z. Co., Zeehan, Tasmania.
Snippets appearing in The Northern Miner give further details about his pursuits after the war:
Herbert Johns Redmond died on October 8, 1945 in Brisbane, Qld aged about 54 years. Family arrangements were published in the:
In the same issue a summation of his life was given:
The location of his grave is in Portion O of the South Brisbane Cemetery in Grave No. 307.
THE REDMOND FAMILY
Leonard Redmond was born in Annaghmore, County Armagh, Northern Ireland on December 18, 1854. He was one of a family of eleven children with three studying to be Doctors. He outlived all of his family.
During his youthful years he was a successful student at Queen’s College in Belfast, Ireland achieving his degree of Bachelor of Medicine – MB.
To gain medical experience he adventurously travelled to Africa obtaining valuable knowledge in treating many diseases, infections and afflictions in a foreign environment.
With practical knowledge achieved he returned for further study at Queen’s College and obtained another Medical degree, this time as a Doctor of Medicine – MD. His accreditations after his name were MD, DH.M, L.S.A. London.
The northern hemisphere weather caused Rheumatism and therefore sought the warmer climate of Australia. He arrived in Charters Towers and bought the residence of Doctor Kennedy in Gill Street but after a few years he built an attractive residence in Hodgkinson Street, where he lived with his wife Elizabeth Annie nee Johns and their children. The maid from her English home was sent out to Charters Towers at the request of Mrs Johns her mother, to be a maid to her daughter Elizabeth and remained with the Redmond family until she married. Mrs Glaze was her married name, and was the guest of honour at their 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration in August, 1934.
Elizabeth Annie Johns was born in Staffordshire, England about 1864 and studied Music and Languages in Switzerland. She was a shy lady and only once did she publicly perform at the local School of Arts demonstrating to the audience her musical ability.
Their children gained both qualities of creativity and culture from their parents and achieved everything off their own bat. Their sons had fine physiques and gentlemanly ways, a product of their parents training and of first-rate British stock.
Leonard Vincent died in infancy and is buried in the Charters Towers Pioneer Cemetery.
Edward Vernon became a Consulting Engineer, Cairns and Ingham.
Herbert Johns gained Diplomas in Metallurgy Chemistry, Metallurgical and Mining Engineering at the
Charters Towers School of Mines and was an Engineer, Cloncurry, Qld
Leonard Lewis became a Chemist, Newcastle, NSW.
Annie Eleanor married William Symes and shared ownership of a large grazing properties named
Bletchington Park and later Merricourt Station in the Charters Towers district.
The family remained in Charters Towers for sixteen years then toured with world visiting many Capital Cities of America, England and the Continent particularly France and Belgium. In these countries he gained considerable knowledge from visiting overseas hospitals later benefiting his practice.
Sometime after his return to the sub-tropical zone of the Charters Towers district there was a fever raging in the town, with debilitating symptoms lasting 3-5 days, of extreme muscle and joint pain and sometimes accompanied by a rash. Earlier in his career he had seen in the Gold Coast region of Africa an endemic of fever with similarities in symptoms and by applying the same treatment used in Africa received favourable responses. His knowledge of symptoms, treatment and recovery cases allowed him to broadly study the fever to claim his discovery of the Australian form of Dengue Fever (or Break Back Fever).
A bite from a mosquito species (aedes aegypti) transmits the disease in mainly Tropical or Sub-Tropical regions and prefers to breed near a domestic habitat causing cases of Dengue Fever in towns today.
Away from his Medical Practice, Doctor Redmond took great interest in Mining and Civic issues. He was called by the Government on mining matters in 1897 and 1911 and remained a popular Alderman on the Charters Towers City Council being voted for representation from 1921 to 1932.
Dr Leonard Redmond practised privately for about 50 years and lived in Charters Towers for 46 of those years. He suffered ill health in his last years and passed away on December 28, 1935 aged 81 years. His wife Elizabeth lived to be 83 years of age passing on January 26, 1947. Both have a monument in the Charters Towers Cemetery, Lynd Highway.
© Donna Baldey 2008/2018