CORPORAL MICHAEL ALPHONSUS HIGGINS
1032 – 3rd Tunnelling Company
Eurila, South Australia was stated to be the birthplace of Michael Alphonsus Higgins in 1882.
At the recruiting depot at Meekatharra, Western Australia on October 12, 1915 the single thirty-three year old miner applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Attestation forms were completed describing him as 174cms (5ft 8¼ins) tall, weighing 71.8kgs (158lbs) with a chest measurement of 95cms (37½ins). Complexion was dark with grey eyes and had dark brown hair. Religion was Roman Catholic. Distinctive mark was a broad scar 8cm (3½ins) long on the inner side of the right ankle. Next-of-kin nominated was his sister Mrs Minnie McManus of Boulder City, Western Australia. He was sworn in at Blackboy Hill camp near Perth on October 18, 1915.
Basic training commenced on October 10, 1915 with the 33rd Depot Battalion.
Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 therefore Private Higgins 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. Higgins was assigned the regimental number 1032 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 June 20, 1916 he was admitted sick to the 2 / 1 S.M. Field Ambulance with bronchitis and rejoined his unit on June 29.
The No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.
He entered the 72nd Field Ambulance on January 5, 1917 with Haemorrhoids and was transferred the next day to the 33rd Casualty Clearing Station. Two days later he was conveyed to Camiers on A.T.12 being admitted to the General Hospital for treatment of Piles.
On January 15, 1917 was evacuated to England from Havre on the hospital ship Dunluce Castle and admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth for treatment of Haemorrhoids. He was discharged to furlough from February 9 until February 24, 1917 and reported to the No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Down’s camp.
He went before the Medical Board on February 26, 1917 and classified with B1a debility. On March 27 marched out to the Overseas Drafting Depot and left there to proceed to France from Folkstone on April 14, 1917.
Marched into the Aust General Base Depot the following day and sent to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion on April 21 which was an advanced section of the Base Depot that organised works near the lines and through duties, usually of ten days duration, would accustom the reinforcements to war conditions before being assigned to a company in the field. He left on May 1, 1917 to rejoin his unit arriving three days later.
Leave from France was taken from February 8 to February 23, 1918.
While away on February 20, 1918 he was issued with three Blue Chevrons to wear on his uniform for serving two years abroad.
Sapper was appointed Lance Corporal on April 17, 1918.
He is mentioned in the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company as follows:
On October 26, 1918 was appointed Temporary Second Corporal due to 2nd Corporal Wright being evacuated wounded. He reverted to Lance Corporal when Corporal Wright returned on November 9, 1918.
He was taken to the 2/3 H.C. Field Ambulance on November 10 with yellow gas poisoning. He reverted to the rank of Lance Corporal the next day. Two days later moved to the 15th Casualty Clearing Station and later sent to the 7th Stationary Hospital at Boulogne.
He was there when Peace was declared. The Tunnelling Companies remained on the front as part of the Army of Occupation assisting with the rehabilitation of their area in clearing roads and bridges by defusing booby traps left by the enemy.
On November 21, 1918 he was transferred to the 10th Convalescent Depot and three days later on November 24 discharged to Base Details in Boulogne. Base Records advised next-of-kin on November 26 and 29, 1918 he had been gassed and the hospital he was admitted to.
He marched out on November 24 to the 5th Rest Camp until December 5, 1918. He rejoined his unit the next day and promoted to Temporary 2nd Corporal due to the promotion of 2nd Corporal Evans.
His name appeared in the casualty list published in the:
Leave from France was granted from January 4 to January 18, 1919 and rejoined his unit the next day.
On February 6, 1919 orders were received to prepare for demobilisation and he reverted to Lance Corporal due to this but this entry was deleted on discharge and promoted to Corporal January 18, 1919.
They left the Aust General Base Depot on February 21 crossing the English Channel and marched into the Reserve Brigade Aust Artillery camp in Heytesbury a day later.
After demobilisation L/Corporal Higgins embarked for Australia on board H.T. Sardinia on April 19, 1919. Base Records advised next-of-kin on May 5, 1919 that he was coming home. The ship docked in Fremantle (5th Military District) on May 28, 1919. His name appeared on the list of returning soldiers appearing in the:
Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on July 12, 1919 on termination of his period of enlistment.
The British War Medal (8125) and the Victory Medal (8091) were issued for serving his country to Lance Corporal 1032 Michael Alphonsus Higgins.
These medals were not collected from the designated barracks and returned to Base Records on September 30, 1924. A letter addressed care of his next-of-kin was sent on October 16, 1924 but returned unclaimed.
A request for his current address was lodged with the District Finance Officer (Perth) on January 9, 1925.
He applied on October 3, 1929 for his Service Medals. These medals were sent on October 15, 1929 by registered post (1200) and receipted with signature witnessed by the Secretary of the Boulder City Branch of the R.S.L. who had made the initial application on his behalf to Base Records.
A Statement of Service was requested by the Perth Branch of the Repatriation Department and sent by Base Records on December 19, 1929.
From 1922 to 1925 his address was 39 Wittenoom Road, Boulder with the occupation of miner.
Michael Alphonsus Higgins died on June 21, 1921 aged 48 years. Family arrangements were published in the:
He was mentioned in the Minutes of the Meeting of the RSL Sub-branch in Boulder re-printed in the:
His grave is located in the Roman Catholic portion of Karrakatta Cemetery within section IA in gravesite no. 80.
© Donna Baldey 2016