Sapper Joseph Clarke Phillips

SAPPER JOSEPH CLARKE PHILLIPS

3356 – 1st Tunnelling Company

Newcastle, New South Wales was stated the birthplace of Joseph Clarke Phillips about 1889 the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (nee Jones) Phillips.

At the Recruiting Depot in Brisbane, Qld on January 17, 1916 the twenty-seven year old coalminer enlisted for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Forms of Attestation were completed and his description on enlistment states his height was 170cms (5ft 7ins), weighing 68.1kgs (150lbs) with a chest expansion of 92-97cms (36-38ins). Dark was his complexion with brown eyes and black hair and passed the eye test with good vision. Distinguishing marks were scars on his left eye and left shin. Church of England was religious denomination.

Next-of-kin was his mother Elizabeth Phillips of Merewether, Newcastle, NSW. ‘The Oath’ was signed and taken the same day.

Private Phillips commenced basic training with the 11th Depot Battalion at Enoggera camp, Brisbane on February 22 until March 20, 1916. He was then recruited to the Miners’ Depot (1st Military District) to join the No.4 Tunnelling Company Reinforcements with the rank of Sapper and the regimental number 3356.

The recruits formed part of the No.4 Company which embarked from Brisbane, Qld early in May, 1916 aboard HMAT A69 Warilda for Sydney, 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 on May 10, 1916 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.

The 7713-ton transport departed Sydney, NSW on May 22, 1916 and collected in Melbourne, Victoria the No. 5 Company recruited from Victoria, South Aust. & Tasmania made up of 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 added No. 6 Company recruited from W.A. of 14 officers and 325 O.Rs along with 1st Reinforcements of 1 Officer & 32 O.Rs departing the same day.

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 Away without Leave caused concern. The fifty-eight day voyage experienced remarkable pleasant weather terminating 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 at Nos 1 & 3 Details camp at Parkhouse.

Joseph was the subject of Disciplinary action on August 4, 1916 for the following:

Offence:AWL 1000 4/8/16

Award:7 days C.B. [Confined to Barracks]

Total forfeiture:1 days pay

The Reinforcements moved to Perham Downs for further training:

On August 11, 1916 he was admitted to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford for treatment of a social disease and after twenty-days was discharged and returned to camp.

He proceeded overseas to France on September 22, 1916 marching into the 2nd Aust Divisional Base Depot three days later. On October 12 he was sent to the 1st Anzac Reinforcement Camp and was assigned to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion 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.

After ten days Sapper was attached to the 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company.

On Christmas Eve, 1916 he was admitted to the 41st Divisional Rest Station with P.U.O. (Pyrexia (Fever) Unknown Origin) and after three days rest returned to duty with the Canadian Company.

He was taken on strength with the 1st Aust Tunnelling Company on December 30, 1916

Service continued without incident until December 5, 1917 when he was admitted to the 15th Aust Field Ambulance and transferred to the 2nd Aust Casualty Clearing Station for treatment of a social disease for sixteen days returning on December 20.

Leave was granted from February 24, 1918 and returned on March 11.

On March 23, 1918 Sapper was wounded in action and taken to the 4th Field Ambulance with a shell wound to the right thigh and sent in a ‘dangerous’ condition to the 1st A.C.C.S. where diagnosis was initially gunshot wound to face and right thigh.

In the War Diary of the 1st Tunnelling Company the following entry was recorded:

A transfer on the Ambulance Train took place on March 31 to Calais where he was admitted to the 35th General Hospital.

His mother was notified by Base Records on April 2, 1918 that her son was in a dangerous condition.

He was conveyed to England on the hospital ship Stad Antwerpen on April 4, 1918 and admitted to Norfolk War Hospital, Thorpe, Norwich allocated bed no. 12 in Ward B. His Statement of Case reads:

Shell Wound – Left Foot; Right Thigh

Fractured Femur

23-3-18 1 A.C.C.S. Amputation in lower 1/3 right thigh; removed top great toe

It was later amended that no fracture of the femur was found.

Further advice was sent to his mother on April 18 he had been sent to hospital in England.

He was conveyed on a stretcher to the 1st Aust Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield on May 7, 1918 and two days later he was taken to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital (2nd AAH) at Southall.

On May 9 Base Records sent further information to his mother that his condition was improving.

He was discharged on furlough on May 28, to report to the 2nd A.A.H. on June 11 for re-admission. News that he was convalescent was forwarded to his mother on June 12, 1918.

Joseph remained in hospital until June 30, 1918 when he discharged to the transport for his return home and discharge due to amputation of right thigh.

Base Records advised his mother on August 8, 1918 of his impending return. The Kanowna docked in Sydney, NSW (2nd M.D.) on September 3, 1918 and he left for Brisbane (1st M.D.)

Military discharge was issued in Brisbane (1st M.D.) on February 27, 1919 as medically unfit due to wounds. Later that year his address was care of Hullin, South Pine Road, Enoggera, Brisbane.

Joseph had been a member of 1ATC from September 1916 until his return to Australia in September 1918. 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 also have worked on the construction of the Hooge Crater dugouts.

He married in Queensland on November 21, 1922 to Henrietta Hullin. He was a Railway Employee and lived at 192 Wharf Street, Brisbane all his life.

The British War Medal (17085) and the Victory Medal (16688) were awarded to Sapper 3356 Joseph Clarke Phillips, 1st Tunnelling Company for serving his country.

A Statement of Service was forwarded to the Repatriation Commission in Brisbane on March 9, 1953.

Joseph Clarke Phillips passed away on May 23, 1960 aged 71 years. Family Notices were printed in the following issues:

His Commonwealth War Grave plaque is located on the Hullin family plot in portion 25 of the Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane within section 31 in grave no. 15.

From Michelle Addison:

He came back from the war from a hospital in England and went on to lead as normal a life as possible. Ganga (my name for him) gave my grandmother a handmade set of worry beads and a turkish fez and told her these were given to him by a turkish soldier. The soldier said these belonged to his grandfather and were given to him when he went off to war. The worry beads are beautiful and handmade as is the hand-stitched fez. These have been handed down to me and are much treasured. I am endeavouring to understand how someone who didn't fight in turkey would come to meet a turkish soldier. It has me perplexed. So too does a little ebony and ivory elephant which he also brought home from the war.

Ganga died when I was 5 and I remember a man who sat on the floor with me with his stumpy leg and played with a wind up brown tin monkey. He gave me lots of big bear cuddles, a wonderful memory. Mum and Dad are still alive and Dad tends the grave at Toowong every year for painting and new flowers. My nana passed away in 1973 after a long battle with cancer.

My grandmother ran a residential boarding house for men at 192 Wharf Street Brisbane. It was a hard life. I remember Ganga’s artificial leg hanging up in a room that was called the dugout - it was a dark place and that was his special place in his house - quite cave like, scary and yet compelling for a young person. It smelt musty and had a lot of war things in it including a big trunk I used to open and wonder in amazement at its contents. I can still sense the room now even though it is long demolished. Guess it was like the dugouts in the war zones. I never made the connection until recently, and wonder if it was the place he retreated to when he needed to remember the past or to cope with what he had experienced. He passed away in Greenslopes Hospital and I remember his funeral as if it was yesterday.

We have a wonderful photo of him in uniform and I have a little one in a gold open glass-framed locket, a head shot in uniform, with little stars housing some tiny red gems in the centre. I suspect it is something nana kept close to her.

My grandfather was friends with the infamous Jim Devine who married Tilly (both of underworld fame). Seems my grandfather was supposedly at their 1917 wedding in London as best man, but I am unsure how that could be given he was in France. From what I read, Jim seems to be portrayed as a no hoper-type person and often AWOL, so no surprises that he ended up marrying in London. I do know that Jim Devine was in the 4th Tunnelling group, so it would seem to fit that the two sappers knew each other. The rest would need to be substantiated. I did find the marriage certificate of Jim and Tilly online but no mention of my grandfather's name as a witness. Wish I could ask Ganga so many questions about his life.

Another thing my parents knew was that my grandfather said he was shot trying to help a french woman and her children. Again I have no way of proving this so it might be a bit of family mystery. He didn't seem to have any medals that would attest to this type of bravery.

When he returned from the war it took a 13-year engagement before my grandmother would marry him as her terms were no drinking, no gambling and no smoking. He gave these all up for love and never returned to this part of his past.

with the assistance of Michelle Addison, granddaughter of Joseph Clarke Phillips.