SAPPER JOHN THOMAS TODMAN
3482A – 1st Tunnelling Company
Swansea, Wales was the birthplace of John Thomas Todman the son of Matilda Todman in 1885. He came to Australia and was a farmer.
At the Central District Central Recruiting Depot in Rockhampton, Qld on February 27, 1915 the thirty year old applied to enlist for service abroad. He passed the medical examination the following day and Attestation Sheets give personal information that he was unmarried, 178cms (5ft 10ins) in height and weighed 63.6kgs (140lbs) with a chest measurement of 94cms (37ins). Fresh in complexion with grey eyes and light brown hair. Church of England was his faith and nominated his mother Mrs Matilda Todman, of 103 Chapter Road, Cricklewood, London NW, England as his next-of-kin. ‘The Oath of Allegiance’ was then signed and taken.
The Mining Corps was in its establishment stage and he commenced basic training at their Casula camp, near Liverpool, N.S.W. on December 30, 1915. He was assigned the regimental number 3482 and the rank of Sapper joining the 4th Reinforcements remaining until June 26, 1916 when he was transferred to their training camp at Seymour, Vic. A Statutory Declaration dated June 22, 1916 declared his occupation to be recorded as a Miner. From July 18, 1916 went to the Reinforcements Tunnelling Companies.
The 81 Reinforcements embarked on the transport RMS Orontes on August 16, 1916 from Melbourne, Vic. The mail ship sailed to Adelaide, S.A. then Fremantle, W.A departing on August 23, 1916. After leaving the stormy Australian coast the vessel docked at the African ports of Durban, Capetown and St Vincent and after fifty-two days at sea of generally fine and mild weather arrived at Plymouth, England on October 2, 1916. They were detrained to Tidworth and marched in to No. 3 Details Camp at Parkhouse for further training for the front.
On October 15, 1916 the men proceeded to France marching in to the Aust General Base Depot at Etaples four days later. On November 21 Sapper Todman was assigned the 1st Tunnelling Company, taken on strength and reinforced the 1st Tunnelling Company in the field on December 24, 1916.
Headquarters in London re-allocated his regimental number to be 3482A on January 10, 1917.
His service continued without incident and was granted in 1918 Blue Chevrons for a year’s service in the field.
On March 14 he was sent to the 1/1 W.R. Field Ambulance and transferred to the 63rd Casualty Clearing Station with Contusion to Legs and returned to duty on March 26 rejoining his unit two days later.
He went injured to the 11th Canadian Field Ambulance on May 6, 1918 with a 1CT Thumb and transferred to the Canadian Corp Rest Station and rejoined his duties on May 22, 1918.
Leave was granted to the United Kingdom and proceeded on August 18 returning on September 4, 1918.
Sapper Todman was wounded in action on September 29, 1918 and taken to the 12th C.C.S. receiving a bullet wound to his right leg and was conveyed on A.T.20 the next day to the 30th Aust General Hospital in Abbeville. The following day transported on Aust Train for evacuation to England on the hospital ship Formosa and entered the Graylingwell War Hospital, Chichester diagnosed with machine gun bullet wound to right leg (slight). Was treated for 13 days for a tunnel fracture of tibia just below the knee.
There is no surviving War Diary for the 1st Tunnelling Company for September, 1918, in its absence the following is an account taken from My Story of the Great War written by Captain O.H. Woodward, MC 2 bars, whose recollections are in the following extract:
With the wound healing well was readmitted to the Chichester Military Hospital on October 16 and discharged to furlough three days later. He reported from Headquarters to the No. 1 Command Depot at Sutton Veny on November 4 classed with a B1A1 disability. Notes of his case were:
T & T wound below right knee.
Tunnel fracture of right tibia.
No great ? lesion.
? ? has of sensation outer side of tibia, some pain after marching.
Massage. Class B1A1 disability.
When Armistice was declared he was in this camp.
The Casualty List was reproduced in The Queenslander on Saturday November 30, 1918 and his name is mentioned among the wounded:
While at Sutton Veny he appeared before a Medical Board on December 4, 1918 and his Statement of Case is as follows:
Cause of disability:Gunshot Wound right leg.
Origin of disability:29th September, 1918.
Place of disability:St Quentin, France
Essential facts:Machine gun bullet. Chichester War Hospital for 14 days.
Causation:G.S.W. Leg while on active service.
Present condition:T & T thro’ top of tibia in front of important structures.
No disability. Temporarily unfit for general service for 1 month
Re-examined:1 month.
Disablement:less than 20%.
Recommendation:Temporarily unfit for general service, fit for home service.
16/12/18.
It was thought he had been A.W.L. on February 25, 1919 but deleted when records showed he was at Sutton Veny camp and the entry scored through being marked ‘in error’ on his documents.
Military Discharge due to medically unfit was issued in London on March 15, 1919 after demobilisation. He was entitled to three Blue Chevrons for overseas service and received £17 sterling for his active and deferred pay and Certificate No. 738. His intended residence was 103 Chapter Road, Cricklewood, London.
On January 31, 1920 a copy of his Will was sent to England.
Sapper 3482A John Thomas Todman, 1st Tunnelling Company after three years and seventy-six days service received the British War Medal (2296) and the Victory Medal (2296) which was inscribed and issued by Australia House, London.
© Donna Baldey 2011