SERGEANT ERNEST WARWICK REED
1138 – 3rd Tunnelling Company
Sandhurst, Sandbridge, Victoria was the birthplace of Ernest Warwick Reed in 1876 the son of John and Mary Ann (nee Monar) Reed.
He married in 1900 to Caroline ‘Carrie’ Schnelbeck and they were residing in 1903 at Forest Street, Bendigo, Vic. with his occupation as a miner.
A year later he was a witness in the Bendigo Court with proceedings reported in the:
They moved to the goldfields of Western Australia where in 1912 they were living at 154 Wittenoom Street, Boulder working as a miner. He was also a witness at an Inquiry held at the Boulder Courthouse and reported in the:
At the recruiting depot in Kalgoorlie on October 26, 1915 the thirty-nine year old married miner applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Attestation forms were completed which reveal he was 173cms (5ft 8ins) tall, weighed 73.6kgs (168lbs) with a chest expansion of 92-99cms (36-39ins).
Complexion was medium with his blue eyes testing to only fair vision in his right eye and very poor sight in the left one. His hair was brown and Methodist his religious faith. Distinctive marks were a mole on his left cheek, hammer toe 1st on each foot which do not appear to give any trouble. Next-of-kin nominated was his wife Caroline Reed of 154 Wittenoom Street, Boulder and allotted three-fifths of his pay in support of her. He signed and took the ‘Enlistment Oath’ at Blackboy Hill camp, near Perth on November 1, 1915.
Acknowledgement to the departing volunteers was published in the:
Basic training was to commence with the 34th Depot Battalion but on November 4 Private Reed was transferred to “D Coy’ 4th Depot Battalion remaining until November 30 when he was allotted to the Miners’ Corps.
Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 therefore Private Reed 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.
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. Reed was assigned the regimental number 1138 in the rank of Sapper and remained in No. 3 Company. On February 2, 1916 he was promoted to be Second Corporal.
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. Sapper Reed was assigned to No. 4 Section of the Company who were attached for duty to the 254th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers in the field on May 13, 1916.
On August 3, 1916 Sapper was wounded in action receiving a shrapnel wound to his head and taken to the No. 4 Casualty Clearing Station and later moved to the No. 2 C.C.S. He returned to duty on August 12, 1916.
He was promoted to be Acting Sergeant on August 19, 1916
Base Records advised his wife on September 1, 1916 that he had been wounded in action and gave his address for correspondence.
This news was reported in the:
His photo appeared in:
A further promotion was granted on October 14, 1916 due to vacancy left by Sergeant Norfolk. The No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.
Sergeant Reed was wounded in action for the second occasion on April 1, 1917 suffering a gunshot wound and fracture to his left leg and admitted to the 18th Field Ambulance the next day.
In the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company the following was recorded on the incident:
He was moved to the 1st Casualty Clearing Station on April 2, 1917 for further treatment then transported by barge two days later. He was evacuated to England on April 12 on the hospital ship Cambria from Calais and admitted to the University War Hospital at Southampton with a shell wound and fractured tibia of his left leg and shell shock a day later.
He appeared before the Medical Board while a patient there on April 30, 1917 and his Statement of Case reads:
Disability: Compound fracture left tibia
Date of disability: April 1, 1917
Place of disability: Loos, France
Essential facts: Was in the act of going in to the advanced trenches for the purpose
of sapping shell struck his leg. In ½ hour was carried back to
dressing station. After an hour sent to Bethune then in another hour
sent to Chalk remaining two days. Then sent to Calais (No 9 Hosp)
remaining 5 days. Sent to Dover and came into Southampton by
train. Dressed daily.
Cause of disability: Shell explosion
Caused by: Active service by enemy fire
Present condition: Round hole in bone of tibia, size 7, two shilling piece. Discharging
freely. The bone has been fractured. There are discharging pockets
extending in various directions, especially upmost for several inches
around the wound his leg is much swollen, red and painful.
Operation performed: No report of operation received
Recommendation: Discharge permanently unfit 30/4/17
Fit for Civil life employment: No
Result of: Active Service
Causes: Gunshot wound
Is disability permanent: Yes
Fit as out-patient: Yes
Capacity: Total at present
Base Records advised his wife by Telegram as follows:
His name was listed in the Casualty List published in the:
His wife received further Telegrams from Base Records as follows:
His name again appeared in the Casualty List published in the:
On May 15 at the No. 1 Aust Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield he appeared before another Medical Board and the Case Statement reported:
Disability: Compound fracture of Left Tibia G.S.W.
Date of disability: April 1st, 1917
Place of disability: Loos, France
Essential facts: Shell explosion – removed to Dressing Station where splint
was applied and injection of A.T.S. given – no op performed then. Sent to Duchess of Sutherland Hospital for 6 days & on admission there was a large round discharging wound involving tibia on and surface of left leg
On April 17 had pulmonary congestion
Cause of disability: Shell explosion
Caused by: Active Service
Present condition: Has a large round discharging hole almost 7½ins diameter
involving Tibia of left leg on the anterior surface.
Dead bone not separated yet
On a Thomas Knee splint
Had pulmonary congestion while in other hospital – now better
Has seen Col. Jordan
Operated on: Yes at Chalk, France – no record of what was done
Discharge unfit: Yes
Caused by: Active service G.S.W.
Permanent: Six months
Labour at present: Total
Recommendation: Unfit for all services for six months 1/6/17
Approved: 6/6/17
Base Records sent Mrs Reed another Telegram which stated:
Sergeant Reed embarked for a change to Australia on the hospital ship Karoola on July 3, 1917 from Avonmouth. He had a lower berth for the voyage. Base Records advised his wife on July 23, 1917 that he was returning home.
His name appeared in the list of returning soldiers published in the:
The ship docked at Fremantle (5th Military district) on August 18, 1917 and went to the No. 8 Aust General Hospital at Fremantle remaining until February 18, 1918. He was discharged to the Staff Officer for Invalid and Returned Soldiers.
His medical statement from the hospital board stated:
G.S. Wound of left leg. Compound fracture of tibia. Sinus still present. Recurrent
attacks of acute inflammation. Recent operation opening up freely, otherwise well.
General condition good. D.P.U. Incapacity total for 12 months. Recommend
continue treatment at No. 8 A.G.H. 2/2/18
Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on February 18, 1918 and the following day was granted a military pension of 34 shillings and 6 pence per fortnight.
He placed an advertisement for the following in the:
Later that year he was residing at 48 Victoria Street, Albert Park, Melbourne, Vic working as a labourer.
Ernest Warwick Reed passed away on January 4, 1921 aged 44 years in the military ward at Austin Hospital, Melbourne. His demise was announced in the:
Burial took place in the Methodist portion of Coburg Cemetery within section B in grave no. 855.
News of his death reached Boulder where at a meeting of the Australian Natives Association, Boulder Branch it was reported as follows:
District Headquarters, Melbourne (3rd M.D.) on January 19, 1921 wrote to Base Records advising them of the death of the former soldier. A copy of his War Service was made for the War Pension Department on January 24, 1921.
A death notice also appeared later in the:
The British War Medal (8213) and the Victory Medal (8178) were issued to Sergeant 1138 Ernest Warwick Reed, 3rd Tunnelling Company for serving his country. These medals were not collected from the designated barracks and were returned to Base Records on September 30, 1924.
A letter from Base Records dated January 25, 1925 to the Melbourne Branch of the Repatriation Department advised the death of the ex-soldier and requested the present address of his widow. They would be pleased to know if she was in receipt of a pension and at what Post Office it was drawn plus the Certificate No. of the same. The Repatriation Department on January 29, 1925 replied that Mrs Reed was at present in Western Australia and her pension was transferred to that State in October, 1921. The writer suggested that they communicate with the Deputy Commissioner in Perth.
Base Records wrote to the Perth Branch of the Repatriation Commission on February 6, 1925 requesting the same information of Mrs Reed’s present address or any information to get in touch with her. They also wanted to learn if she was in receipt of a pension and the Post Office and Certificate No. of the same.
The Perth Repatriation Commission replied on February 13, 1925 to Base Records with the latest known address of Mrs Reed as – 174 Varden Street, Kalgoorlie.