LIEUTENANT PHILLIP CLIFFORD PURCELL PLUMMER
100 – 1st Tunnelling Company
Born on 16 March 1887 at Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony, South Africa, the son of Phillip Planche and Saartje (nee Neatt) Plummer. Phillip completed the ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’ on 19 August 1914.
He recorded that he had completed a 5-year apprenticeship with Hipsley & Waddle, Sydney, New South Wales and that his previous military experience was 4-years with the Submarine Corp of Mining Engineers before leaving the State.
Age 27 years and 5 months; he gave his address as 29 National Mutual Buildings, Hobart, Tasmania. He stated his trade as ‘Engineer, Mining, Civil, Elect & Marine’. He named as his Next-of-Kin his father Phillip Planche Plummer, also of 29 National Mutual Buildings, Hobart.
Phillip signed the Attestation Paper on 25 August and the Oath to ‘well and truly serve’ on 27 August at Brighton, Tasmania, in front of the Attesting Officer 2/lt Geo. L. Thirkell. A medical examination at Brignoon on 27 August had found him to be ‘fit for active service’ and recorded that he was 6ft 1ins tall and weighed 13 stone 4 lbs. He had a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair.
He was appointed to the 3rd Field Company, Engineers (3FCE) on 18 September at Melbourne, Victoria, by Captain Henry Oliver Clogstoun, Royal Engineers (attached to Royal Australian Engineers), Commanding 3rd Field Company, A.I.F.
Service Number 100 Sapper Phillip Purcell was promoted to 2nd Corporal, No.4 Section, and embarked with 3FCE at Melbourne, Victoria on transport HMAT A2 Geelong on 22 September 1914.
[Also on board Geelong that voyage was 77 Sapper John George PATTINSON – later Lt John Frank PATTINSON, 2ATC, KIA.]
While at sea, and at his own request, he reverted to Sapper rank on 13 November 1914.
3FCE disembarked in Egypt on 3 December 1914 and undertook training and the organising of stores for the landing at Gallipoli.
3FCE were in support of the Reserve Brigade for the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April and was at the outset employed on divisional and corps tasks including unloading engineer stores and establishing a depot on the beach close to ‘Hell Spit’ – the lesser Ari Burnu. The dump was exposed to observation from Gaba Tepe and it soon became a target for intermittent shelling to such an extent that the drawing of Engineer stores by day became an unpopular duty. (Abridged)
[The Royal Australian Engineers 1902-1919– Maj.Gen. R.R. McNicoll C.B.E.]
Phillip was wounded at Gaba Tepe on 29 April suffering a gun shot wound to the foot.
At the Dardenelles Phillip suffered a bullet wound to the thorax on 4 July 1915 and was admitted to the 1st Australian General Hospital, Cairo before being discharged to Alexandria on 14 July. A Medical Board held at Rasel Tin Convalescent Home on 8 August recommended he be returned to Australia and he departed from Suez per Themistocles on 15 August.
He arrived in Australia on 9 September and on 11 September he was admitted to the General Hospital, Hobart.
On 23 September he was discharged on leave until 21 December 1915. Phillip returned to duty on 4 Jan 1916.
Phillip re-enlisted 16 March 1916. On 20 April he married Coralie Elaine Burgess, daughter of William Burgess and Annie Beglay (nee Turner) at Anniversary, Tasmania. A small notice appeared in the Mercury newspaper and referred to him as ‘Phillip Clifford P Planche-Plummer’.
He applied for a Commission in the A.I.F. listing his educational qualifications as Public School and College and his military qualifications as 4 years Militia Submarine Miners and 21 months active service Suez Canal and Gallipoli. He stated that he had qualified for appointment as a 2nd Lieutenant on 22 February 1916. A Mining Engineer aged 29 years and 2 months, he named as his Next-of-Kin his wife Coralie Elaine Plummer of ‘Stanholme’, 207 Macquarie Street, Hobart, Tasmania, and allotted two-fifths of his pay for the support of his wife.
Phillip was appointed a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Tunnelling Company on 16 March 1916 and sailed on Warilda for the European theatre.
Two Sections of the Northern recruits to form the No.4 Company had embarked from Brisbane, Queensland early in May, 1916 aboard HMAT A69 Warilda for Sydney, New South Wales (NSW). Six officers and 152 other ranks together with the 1st Reinforcements of fifteen other ranks made up the two sections.
At Rosebery Park, Sydney, NSW they joined their Headquarters and two sections (8 officers & 153 O.Rs.) plus 1st Reinforcements consisting of one officer and seventeen other ranks for final training.
Sydney Morning Herald Monday May 22, 1916:
THE TROOPS
INSPECTION AT MOORE PARK
“In the presence of a crowd of 10,000 people the District Commandant, Brigadier-General Ramaciotti, V.D., held an inspection of troops at Moore Park, on Saturday afternoon. The troops consisted of Field Artillery, Tunnelling Section (including Queenslanders), under Major Vincent; Infantry, under Lieutenant Owen Gibbs, under Captain Brosnan, the whole parade being under the command of Major Holman, D.S.O.
Prior to arrival of the commandant and his staff, the men were drawn up in columns of companies on the Dowling-street side of the ground, facing the tramline. The bands of Liverpool Headquarters and the Engineers played selections of music.
Brigadier-General Ramaciotti, V.D. made a close inspection of the lines. Returning to the saluting base the Commandant took the salute as the various units marched past in columns of companies, and again as they returned headed by the band in columns of fours.
One company had with it a small kangaroo as a mascot. The animal was held on a ribbon, but when it drew level with the saluting base it bobbed up and down as if anxious to do its share in the saluting lines as its male friends were doing. Its antics were so ludicrous that the crowd roared.
At the conclusion of the inspection the men were marched across to the Royal Agricultural Ground, where they were provided with temporary quarters.” [Abridged]
The 7713 ton transport departed Sydney, NSW on May 22, 1916 and collected in Melbourne, Victoria the No 5 Company recruited from Victoria, South Australia & Tasmania consisting of a Headquarters and 2 Sections (8 officers & 173 men) (3 M.D.). 1 Section from Tasmania (3 officers & 76 O.Rs); also 1st Reinforcements for No 5 Company (17 men from Vic. & 8 men Tas.) The ship departed on May 25, 1916 for Adelaide, S.A. to collect one Section of 3 officers & 76 O.Rs with 1st Reinforcements of 8 O.Rs.
Docking at Fremantle, W.A. on June 1, 1916 No 6 Company recruited from W.A. of 14 officers and 325 O.Rs along with 1st Reinforcements of 1 Officer & 32 O.Rs embarked and Warilda departed the same day for the European theatre.
Durban, South Africa was reached on June 16, 1916 and Cape Town on June 21, 1916 while St Vincent completed the African ports of call on July 7, 1916. Discipline was fairly good except at intermediate ports where soldiers going Absent Without Leave caused concern. The fifty-eight day voyage experienced remarkable pleasant weather and terminated at Plymouth, England on July 18, 1916. Four, Five and Six Companies comprising of 1064 officers and other ranks were detrained to Amesbury and Tidworth to begin training for the front.
With most of the Tunneller Reinforcements, Phillip proceeded overseas to France on 28 August 1916. He was absorbed into the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company (1ATC) and taken on strength on 25 September 1916. On 19 December 1916 Phillip was appointed Adjutant of 1ATC, vice Captain E.S. Anderson who had held the position since embarkation. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 January 1917.
1ATC at that time was continuing the maintenance of the Hill 60 and Caterpiller mine systems and was engaged in the construction of dug-outs and underground accommodation for units up to battalion strength.
On 7 June 1917 the Battle of Messines began at 3.10am when 19 mines, including Hill 60 and Caterpiller where exploded.
On 16 October 1917 while on leave in England he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital. On 19 October it was assessed that he would be fit for general service in two weeks and he was discharged to No.1 Command Depot, Sutton Veny. He was transferred to No.4 Command Depot on the same day.
On 6 February 1918 he marched out to the Overseas Training Brigade at Longbridge-Deverill and proceeded overseas to France on 18 February. He marched in to the O.C. Reinforcements on 20 February and then the Australian General Base Depot (AGBD) on 22 February, rejoining his unit on 23 February.
On 4 August 1918 he was entitled to one Red Chevron and three Blue Chevrons. Each blue Service Chevron denoted one year’s service from 1 January 1915. A red Chevron denoted service before 31 December 1914.
He attended Musketry School in the 4th Army, from 2 to 27 September 1918 and proceeded on leave on 26 October. At that time he was a member of No.4 Section, 1ATC with Captain Woodward, Lieutenants W. Jones and Justice as the other officers in the Section. He rejoined his unit on 18 November.
After the Armistice, the Unit was employed in the re-building of infrastructure across the Western Front. The repair of roads, bridges, drainage and water supply systems were all undertaken by all the Australian Tunnelling Companies, as was the location and removal of enemy, and in some cases, Allied mines and booby-traps.
Phillip was on leave in England in March 1919 when he became sick and was hospitalised until June 1919. He was re-admitted to Hospital on 15 July and was discharged to No.2 Group on 30 August 1919.
He left London on 23 September 1919 on board HMAT A11 Ascanius for return to Australia, disembarked in Tasmania on 6 November 1919. His appointment as an Officer in the A.I.F. was terminated on 15 January 1920. He was entitled to wear the 1914/15 Star: the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Clifford Plummer was a member of 1ATC from September 1916 until his return to Australia in November 1919. In that period he would have worked at Hill 60 in the preparations for the Battle of Messines Ridge. He also most likely worked on the digging of the Catacombs at Hill 63.
He may have been involved with the Easter Raid of April 1917 and the accidental explosion of 25 April 1917 which killed 10 members of his unit. He may have also been involved with operations on the Hindenberg Line in September 1918 when 20 members of 1 & 2ATCs where decorated.
He may also have worked on the construction of the Hooge Crater dugouts.
The Register of Tunnelling Company Officers – February 1925 - records Phillip as working at Coastal Farmers Co-Op. Society, Hobart, Tasmania.
His military records were forwarded to the Repatriation Commission, Hobart, in March 1936.
In November 1939, he wrote to A.I.F. records seeking a copy of his war service 1914-1919 as he was desirous of being placed on the Reserve of Officers strength and evidence was required of his having held a Commission.
From his Elsternick, Victoria address he enlisted for service in World War 2 at Ripponlea, Victoria on 28 Apr 1942. Naming his wife Coralie as Next-of-Kin, V357180 Lieutenant Phillip Clifford Purcell Plummer served with the 5 Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps until discharged on 31 Oct 1945.
The Electoral Roll between 1942 and 1963 record Phillip & Coralie at 5a Gladstone Parade, Elsternwick, Victoria. Phillip is employed as a Manager and Coralie as ‘Home Duties’.
Reunions
Past members of the Australian Electrical & Mechanical Mining & Boring Company and Tunnellers Companies gathered on or about Anzac Day for a reunion luncheon. We have had access to some of their records, which were very well kept and are quite detailed.
In John Royles’ Circular of 30th June, 1949 he writes:
“The old Plum (P.C. Plumer) writes from.
I had the pleasure of meeting his son John complete with bride recently and took them to lunch. He is very like old Plum but I doubt whether he will ever get to as many places as his old Dad. Plum, when he can spare time from golf, plays bowls.”
He also gets a mention in the Circular of 20th June, 1950:
“Old Plum (P,C, Plummer) writes:-
‘It is impossible to attend as only yesterday I started treatment under a Collins Street, bloke and have to go daily. My head has been awful lately. As you knit it’s solid from the neck up and you wouldn’t think there was anything to go wrong. Give my affectionate greetings and best wishes to all the boys.’ In sequence to your remarks:- Yes, Plum. No, you wouldn’t. Thanks, Plum, we did.”
The 1963 Members Roll records Phillip at 5 Gladstone Road, Elsternwick, Victoria.
Phillip Clifford Plummer died in May 1966 age 80 at Heidelberg, Victoria; mother Saartje Neatt. His remains are at Boronia, Wall ZE, Niche 368.
In John Royles’ Circular of 30th June, 1967 he writes:
I received, some time after his death, a letter from Mrs Plummer to tell about the death of dear old Plum, of which I give an extract:-
‘Just a few lines to let you know Cliff passed away in May last at Heidelberg Hospital. I would have written you straight away, but could not find your address. Poor dear had a terrible time, he got Thrombosis in the right leg (the lame one) and had to have it off and then later on, the other one. It was a dreadful time and the very day they amputated the other one, was our Golden Wedding Day (50 years) and he had planned a trip to Tassy as we were married there.
With kind regards,
(signed Corrie Plummer.’
Coralie Elaine Plummer died at Elsternwick in November 1974 aged 94, her remains scattered at Springvale Botanical Cemetery.
© Donna Baldey 2012 / 2016 / 2017
ADDENDUM
Lt Plummer may have taken part in the following 1ATC events: