Sapper John Rankin

SAPPER JOHN RANKIN

1137 – 3rd Tunnelling Company

John Rankin was born on January 25, 1869 at Church Hill, Donegal, Ireland the son of Joseph and Isabella Matilda (nee Roulston) and baptised in the same area. Civil registration district was Letterkenny. On March 31, 1901 his family were residing in the townland of Seacor, Donegal and citizens were Joseph (66), wife Isabella (58) and children John (32), Isabella (25), Robert (23) and Thomas (17).

He came to Western Australia. In 1905 he was a miner at Mt Leonora district where his successful efforts were reported in the:

He remained mining at Leonora having taken over the Rajah mine with his crushings reported in the:

Further developments of the mine were reported in the:

Early in 1915 he formed a syndicate for the Rajah mine and their progress was reported in the:

A month later he with another Leonora miner had moved to the Mertondale district leaving Bradshaw and Greenwood as the Rajah mine owners now reported in the:

A report on the Rajah Mine was mentioned in the:

At the recruiting depot in Leonora on October 25, 1915 the forty-six year old miner applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Attestation papers were completed which show he was 170cms (5ft 7ins) tall, weighed 89kgs (196lbs) with a chest expansion of 102-109cms (40-43ins) giving his birthplace as Connvall, Donegal.

Complexion was fair with his eyes testing to poor vision and had fair hair. Distinctive marks were a mole on his left lower abdomen. Religious faith was Presbyterian. Next-of-kin nominated was his father Joseph Rankin of Seacor, Breenagh, Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland. He was sworn in at Blackboy Hill camp, near Perth on November 2, 1915.

Basic training commenced the same day with the 34th Depot Battalion but two days later was moved to train with ‘D Coy’ 4th Depot Battalion until November 30 when he was allotted to the Miners’ Corps.

Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 therefore Sapper Rankin 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.

His name was among the Council list of volunteers from the district appearing in the:

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. Rankin was assigned the regimental number 1137 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. The No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.

His service continued without illness or injury until June 15, 1917 when he was wounded in action and taken to the 1st Midland Field Ambulance with a gunshot wound to his right shoulder and transferred the next day to the 58th Casualty Clearing Station.

In the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company the following was recorded on the incident:

Sapper was taken on June 19, 1917 to the 1st Canadian General Hospital in Etaples.

Base Records would have advised his father with the news of his wounding and on July 6, 1917 his father’s address was noted on the soldier’s change of address card.

On August 1, 1917 Sapper was discharged to Base Details at the Aust General Base Depot in Rouelles and after eight days marched out to return to his unit rejoining on August 11.

For serving two years abroad Sapper received three Blue Chevrons on February 20, 1918 to wear on his uniform for service abroad.

He was granted leave on July 1, 1918 to Paris and rejoined his unit on July 12.

Disciplinary action was taken for the following:

Crime: 10/8/18 (1) Failing to salute an officer

(2) Insolence to an officer

Award: Forfeits 28 day’s pay by C.O.

He was with his Unit when Peace was declared and the Tunnelling Companies remained on the front as part of the Army of Occupation assisting with the rehabilitation of their areas by clearing roads and bridges of booby traps left by the enemy.

Leave was granted from the Furlough Department from January 8, 1919 and returned from England on January 25.

Two days later orders were received to prepare for demobilisation and return to the Aust Infantry Base Depot on February 1, 1919. They marched out on February 3 crossing the English Channel then entered the Overseas Training Brigade camp at Sutton Veny on February 4.

The next day the fifty year old soldier appeared before the Medical Board at the No. 1 Command Depot in Sutton Veny and was found to have no disability with heart and lungs normal.

After demobilisation Sapper Rankin embarked from Portland, England for Australia on March 3, 1919 on board H.T. Euripides.

News of their arrival was published in:

The ship docked at Fremantle (5th Military District) on April 19, 1919. He appeared before the Disembarkation Medical Board in Fremantle the same day where the following details were noted:

Any wounds or injury: January 16th, 1917 G.S.W. shoulder. Hospital 6 wks.

Returned to Duty

Illness on service: None

Present condition: O.K.

All other health checks taken were marked as normal. Discharge was recommended.

He returned to Leonora and his welcome home was reported in the:

The social for the soldiers welcome was reported in the:

By the end of the month he had a new area to prospect with the Misdeal mine which was announced in the:

Military Discharge was issued in Perth on June 3, 1919 on termination of his period of enlistment.

Reports about the Misdeal Mine and the ex-soldier were published in the:

Further reports of his mining at Mt Keith several months later were also published in the:

For serving his country Sapper 1137 John Rankin, 3rd Tunnelling Company was issued the British War Medal (8212) and the Victory Medal (8177).

He continued as a prospector at Mt Keith remaining registered there until 1930 being at Waroonga Mine, Lawlers. In 1931 he was at Mt Vernon prospecting and from 1934 was at Victory, in the Mt Leonora district.

John Rankin is recorded in the cemetery register as being buried in the Presbyterian portion of Mt Leonora Cemetery with the death date as May 6, 1944, age given as 77 years and late of Mt Margaret, W.A.