SAPPER WILLIAM HENRY MAWDSLEY
5373 – 1st Tunnelling Company
Chester, in Cheshire, England was the birthplace of William Henry Mawdsley about 1866. He came to Australia and his occupation was a Mining Engineer. In 1898 he became a member of the Institute of Mining Engineers which held its Tenth Annual Meeting the following year in Rockhampton, Qld. Meeting notes state they had received a paper titled “The Manufacture of Sulphuric and its Application in Metallurgy” written by him for publication in their Journal.
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He was named as a member of the Mount Morgan B Team to play golf against the Rockhampton B Team in October, 1900. Two years later William, his brother Alfred, J.S. Henderson and R. Schmidt were granted special lease of 25 acres, with a tenancy of 20 years, for the purpose of manufacturing and refining salt on Casuarina Island and held the lease until 1924 when the land was forfeited for failure to pay the annual fee. In 1905 and 1908 he was a committee member of the Queensland Native Birds Protection Association and had been employed by the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company.
At the Central District Central Recruiting Depot in Rockhampton, Qld on December 11, 1915 the Mining Engineer deleted several birthdays to remain at forty-four years, passed the medical examination and was accepted fit for active service. Details from the Application show he was unmarried with his postal address at Bajool, Qld. His height was 170cms (5ft 7ins) and weighed 62.7kgs (138lbs) with a chest measurement of 89cms (35ins).
The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin reported these news items soon after:
Personal affairs completed Attestation was finalized on January 16, 1916 with further information showing his complexion as dark with hazel eyes and greyish hair and eyesight tested in both eyes as poor. Religion was Church of England and his next-of-kin was his mother Mrs Mary Jane Mawdsley care of French Lemoine Co., Bankers, Rome, Italy. The “Oath of Allegiance” was signed and taken in Rockhampton that day.
The Capricornian on January 28, 1916 acknowledged the departing volunteers:
Basic training commenced at Enoggera camp Brisbane on January 27, 1916 with the 11th Depot Battalion and completed on March 27, 1916 when he was sent to train with the Field Engineers until June 19, 1916. A transfer to the Miners’ Depot (1st Military District) followed and after Home Leave relocated to the Miners’ Training Camp at Seymour, Victoria for further instruction with the Tunnelling Reinforcements until September 4, 1916. Two days later he was assigned to the September, 1916 Reinforcements in the rank of Sapper with the regimental number 5373 to serve abroad.
On September 30, 1916 Sapper Mawdsley was one of 168 volunteers who departed from Melbourne, Vic on the troopship HMAT A23 Suffolk. The ship arrived at Fremantle on October 10 and departed the same day. The South African port of Capetown was reached on October 30 and after an overnight stay left the following day. The vessel arrived at Dakar, West Africa on November 15, 1916 staying in the harbour until November 20, 1916. After 64 days at sea the voyage terminated at Plymouth, England on December 2, 1916. The Reinforcements arrived at No. 3 Camp at Parkhouse for further training for the front.
The men proceeded to France via Folkstone on January 28, 1917 and the following day marched into the Aust. General Base Depot. On February 8 Sapper Mawdsley was attached to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion which was an advanced section of the Base Depot that organised works near the lines and through duties, would accustom the reinforcements to war conditions before being assigned to a company in the field.
He was sent from the field sick on February 13 and rejoined the Battalion on March 26, 1917. After a week he proceeded to the 1st Tunnelling Company on April 3 and was attached five days later.
In the Proceedings of the Institute of Mining Engineers Journal dated 31 March 1917 No 25 p vi – ix the following was published:
Under authorisation on May 6, 1917 he marched out to return to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion and was approved as ‘unfit for tunnelling’ three days later. Went sick to the 35th Field Ambulance classed with Debility on May 11 then to the 9th Casualty Clearing Station the next day and on to the 56th C.C.S. Was discharged to duty on May 27, 1917 and returned to the Entrenching Battalion.
He appeared before a Medical Board at Havre on July 11, 1917 and his disability classified him as “P.B.” (Permanent Base Duties).
The Paymaster, 1st Military District wrote to Base Records on October 6, 1917 requesting his districts of enlistment and embarkation and particulars of embarkation allotment. Their reply stated enlistment in 1st Military District on January 22, 1916 and embarked from Melbourne on H.M.A.T. Suffolk on September 29, 1916. Allotment of 4 shillings per Diem was to be paid into his Commonwealth Bank account no. 94355 in Melbourne, Vic.
On October 18, 1917 Sapper returned to England arriving at the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth camp. He reverted to the rank of Private with the 39th Battalion and admitted to C. Coy Hospital the next day. There were no records of his case at that time.
He went before a Medical Board at Westham camp on October 29, 1917 as his Statement of Case reads:
Disability:Overage – 51 years
Date of disability:Prior to enlistment. No obvious disability.
Essential facts:Overage on enlistment
Present condition:No Obvious disability - except age
Disabilities:Slight ? bronchitis & slight deafness.
Finding:Permanently unfit for General Service and fit for Home Service.
Aggravated by:Service during present war
Recommendation:At Littlemoor camp 9/11/17.
On December 31, 1917 he was assigned to the Staff Company at Westham camp. His mother as next-of-kin was noted to be Mrs Mawdsley, 12 Via Gregoriaria, Rome, Italy.
Leave was enjoyed on February 16, 1918.
Mentioned again in the Proceedings of the Institute of Mining Engineers Journal 31 Mar 1918 No. 29 p xv:
A Kit Inspection took place at Littlemoor camp on April 26, 1918 and his putties were withdrawn as unserviceable and issued with a new pair. On May 2 he was issued with a Universal Kit Bag and a Sea Kit Bag and withdrawn by the Quartermaster was a Haversack and two Packs. Special leave was granted from May 10 and the same day was issued with a pair of woollen breeches and jacket. Leave concluded on May 14, 1918. A day before departure the following items were withdrawn on June 5, 1918:
Woollen Breeches and Jacket, Water bottle and carrier and waterproof ground sheet.
After thirty-one months service on June 6, 1918 the carrier D12 H.T. Essex embarked from Liverpool, Eng for the voyage to Australia with Sapper Mawdsley aboard for discharge in Australia due to overage. His berth for the voyage was a hammock.
The ship docked in Sydney, NSW (2nd M.D.) on August 1, 1918 and he returned to Brisbane, Qld (1st M.D.) and entered the 6th Aust General Hospital at Kangaroo Point on August 3, 1918. The Board found him overage and quite well and discharge was recommended by the P.M.O. on August 5, 1918. He returned to the Staff Officer for Invalid and Returned Soldiers for final disposal procedure.
Military Discharge was issued due to Overage on August 18, 1918 in Brisbane, Qld (1st M.D.).
Central Queensland soldiers on the Front were in contact with Mrs H.G. Wheeler working in London co-ordinating the Central Queensland Comfort Fund and each week sent report-letters naming those men she had been in contact with during the week. About eight weeks later these were published in the Rockhampton newspapers to give relatives reliable news of their men abroad. Her address was care of the Agent-General, Queensland Office, London.
The following is an extract from a letter home published in the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin on Wednesday August 19, 1918 in which she imparted brief news of Sapper Mawdsley:
The following year his address was listed at his brother’s residence at Caroline Street, Rockhampton, Qld as a Mining Engineer.
He was mentioned again in the Proceedings of the Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Journal 31 Dec 1919 No. 36 p xxxiv in Members’ names and addresses:
On April 10, 1923 Base Records forwarded to the Department of Repatriation in Adelaide, S.A. his Statement of Service and their reply returning the forms advised that the necessary action had been taken.
In 1934 his brother Alfred A. Mawdsley retired to Sydney, NSW after serving 38 years as Secretary to the Rockhampton Harbour Board.
© Donna Baldey 2011