SAPPER JAMES Mccurdy

SAPPER JAMES McCURDY

356 – 1st Tunnelling Company / 2nd Pioneer Battalion

James McCurdy was born about 1871 in Cushendum, Count Antrim, Ireland. He came to Australia and was working as a Carpenter in Rockhampton, Queensland.

At the Rockhampton Recruiting Depot on September 27, 1915 the forty-four year old enlisted for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Forms of Attestation were completed which reveal his height was 170cms (5ft 7ins) and weighed 70kgs (154lbs) with a chest measurement of 94cms (37ins). Fresh was his complexion with hazel eyes and dark hair. Roman Catholic was his faith and his mother Mrs Rose McCurdy of Cushendum, Co. Antrim, Ireland and later of Turnamona, Co. Antrim was nominated as his next-o-kin. He allotted three-fifths of his pay to support his widowed mother. Swearing in took place the same day.

The Mining Corps was in its formation and he went to the Casula camp near Liverpool, NSW for training. Assigned to the No. 1 Company of the Mining Corps and his rank was a Sapper with the regimental number 356.

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, 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’.

Sapper McCurdy was transferred to the 1st Tunnelling Company on December 24, 1916.

On February 10, 1917 was taken to the 47th Divisional Rest Station with Pyrexia (Fever) and discharged to duty on February 15 and rejoined his unit three days later.

He went before a medical board on March 29, 1917 and found to be unfit for tunnelling work and marched out on May 6, 1917 to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion. This Battalion 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.

A transfer to the 2nd Pioneers Battalion took place on May 25, 1917 and taken on strength the same day.

While on leave to Ireland took ill and admitted to the Central Military Hospital in Belfast on September 15, 1917. His condition was noted as N.Y.D. (not yet diagnosed) and was discharged on January 11, 1918 to the 1st Aust Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield, Eng. Discharged to furlough on January 16 he was to report to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth on January 18, 1918.

His condition did not improve and he returned to Australia on March 10, 1918 on board the H.T. Durham Castle for discharge in Australia due to gastritis. It is not recorded when the ship arrived in Australia.

Military Discharged took place due to medical unfitness in Brisbane, Qld (1st M.D.) on June 14, 1918. A copy was sent on July 4, 1918 to the Pensions department and they were to be re-advised on all promotions that came through.

The British War Medal (12180) and the Victory Medal (12021) were issued to Sapper 356 James McCurdy, 1st Tunnelling Company / 2nd Pioneer Battalion for serving his country.

On July 16, 1930 the Mount Isa Sub-Branch of the Returned Sailors and Soldiers Imperial League of Australia forwarded to Base Records a Statutory Declaration as James McCurdy desired another Certificate of Discharge. Accompanying the letter he had declared on June 1 1930 while residing at 16 Miles Camp, Woonigan, that his tent at the 16 Miles Camp was burned out and lost everything. Base Records forwarded a Duplicate Discharge on July 26, 1930.

A Statement of Service was sent to the Department of Repatriation, Brisbane, Qld on February 24, 1937.