Francis Ernest Chambers 969

STAFF-SERGEANT FRANCIS ERNEST CHAMBERS

969 – 3rd Tunnelling Company

Francis Ernest Chambers was born in Rotherham, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England in the second quarter of 1873. At thirty one years of age he married between January and March, 1905 to Jessica Cranshaw Harrison and they had three children. Sometime after 1909 he came to Australia. In 1916 his name is registered residing at Greenbushes, Western Australia working as an engineer.

He enlisted at the recruiting depot in Perth, W.A. on December 4, 1915 for active service abroad and passed the preliminary medical examination. Personal particulars taken of the forty-six year old miner give his address as Post Office, Greenbushes and was 162cms (5ft 6½ins) tall with a 98cms (38½ins) chest measurement. Declared fit his application was accepted by the recruiting officer.

Attestation Forms were completed the same day adding further information that he weighed 67kgs (148lbs), had a fresh complexion with grey eyes and black hair. Distinctive marks were three vaccination scars, one scar under his left eye and another on his forehead. Church of England was his religious faith. Next-of-kin nominated was his sister Mrs Marie Annie Aizlewood at 74 The Broom, Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. He was sworn in the same day

Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps had begun on December 1st, 1915 therefore Chambers was placed for basic training at the Helena Vale camp at Blackboy Hill, W.A. with the newly forming Corps on December 6, 1915. 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. On February 2, 1916 was assigned the regimental number 969 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. While there he was promoted to Corporal on February 22.

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. No. 4 Section of which he was a member was attached for duty with the 254th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers.

On May 29, 1916 he went sick to the 130th St John Field Ambulance suffering I.C.T. (inflammation of connective tissue) to his feet.

The section returned to their company on June 6, 1916. On August 19 he was to be Acting Sergeant.

He became Sergeant on October 14, 1916. The No. 3 Company merged into the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.

Service continued without incident until he went sick to the 73rd Field Ambulance with Mumps on March 10, 1917 and transferred to the 7th General Hospital at St Omer. Discharge from hospital took place on March 29 and he returned to duty the next day.

During March, 1917 he was also recorded being sent for Proto-apparatus training for mine rescue.

He was issued with three Blue Chevrons on February 20, 1918 to wear on his uniform for serving two years overseas. In an audit of the company was noted to be with his unit on April 26, 1918 and was paid in France on May 30, 1918.

He was mentioned in the following newspaper articles appearing in the:

Base Records received a letter dated August 23, 1918 from Miss Annie Styles of “Morong” Wallaroy Crescent, Double Bay, Sydney who required the regimental number of Sergeant Frank Chambers. His full address was forwarded on August 29, 1918 for correspondence to him.

To complete Company Establishment he was promoted to Staff-Sergeant “C Section Reliefs”. The following is the extract from the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company for his promotion:

In A.I.F. Orders dated 1/10/18, the announcement of the amendments to the War Establishment of Tunnelling Companies is made, by the Authority of D.A.A.G. A.I.F. 70/30 of 26/9/18.

Accordingly, the following promotions were made to complete the establishment: -

1. Capt. A.J. Hillman, MC appointed 2nd in Command, 1.10.18

2. Lieut. E.P. Horn, appointed Adj. And Q.M. to date from 1.10.18

3. 939 C.S.M. Bowley, P.R. (MSM) to be acting R.Q.M.S. from 1.10.18

4. 1070 C.Q.M.S. Loggie, A.B. to be acting R.Q.M.S. from 1.10.18

5. 4216 Sgt MacNamara, W. to be Staff Sgt “A” Section Reliefs 1.10.18

6. 1018 Sgt Goodwin, J.E. to be Staff Sgt “B” Section Reliefs 1.10.18

7. 969 Sgt Chambers, F.E. to be Staff Sgt “C” “ Reliefs 1.10.18

8. 1073 Sgt Lowe, L.W. to be Staff Sgt “D” Section Reliefs 1.10.18

9. 5016 L/Cpl Stubbs, W.S. to C.Q.M.S. of “A” Section from 1.10.18

10. 914 Sgt Austin, T.M. to C.Q.M.S. of “B” Section from 1.10.18

11. 1005 Sgt Forsyth, L.M. to C.Q.M.S. of “C” Section from 1.10.18

12. 4238 Sgt Gebbie, A.M.L. to C.Q.M.S. of “D” Section from 1.10.18

13. 4257 Cpl Storen, M. promoted Sgt vice S/Sgt MacNamara, 1.10.18

14. 4243 2/Cpl Outtrim, H.F. promoted Corporal vice Sgt Storen, 1.10.18

He was with his company when Peace was declared and granted leave to England from the Furlough Department from December 19, 1918. On January 1, 1919 Special Leave was granted for Non-Military Employment (NME) and taken on strength with A.I.F. Headquarters in London. His employment was with the firm of Messrs Steele, Peech and Tozer at Rotherham, Yorkshire with pay only from January 1 until September 30, 1919.

He wrote the following letter to A.I.F. Headquarters as follows in regards to a Discharge in England:

An application for Repatriation and Demobilisation was made on January, 6, 1919 and signed at Rotherham and his reasons for the application are given as follows:

There appeared to be a mix-up after he was granted an extension of his leave until January 9, 1919 and was declared an illegal absentee. The 3rd Tunnelling Company in France had no record of him being placed by Headquarters in London on NME. It was found that he was sent on the job before NME forms were completed and approved by the company. Lt Carroll repeatedly tried to get in contact with Sgt Chambers. It went into the hands of Head Office and a reply was expected at once.

At a Court of Inquiry held at Tournai, Belgium on March 2, 1919 two Staff Sergeants of the 3rd Tunnelling Company were declared absent without leave. The proceedings and declaration were sent that day to the Officer I/C Records, Headquarters, A.I.F. They reported:

“It was unofficially reported that S/Sergt F.E. Chambers was at present being employed by Messrs Steel, Peech & Tozer Ltd at Sheffield, England. May arrangements be made for him to be placed under arrest and tried by D.C.M. on the charge of A.W.L.”

Both men went through Lt Burchell at the Employment Bureau at Horseferry Road, London and paperwork it seems was incomplete between London and France.

Sergeant Chambers wrote from 74 The Broom, Rotherham on May 25, 1918 as follows:

On July 21, 1919 the Director-General of the Repatriation and Demobilisation Department wrote to the Assistant Adjutant-General, London the following letter:

Non-Military Employment was cancelled on September 24, 1919 and he returned to London Headquarters and re-transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company. Discharge in England appears denied.

After demobilisation Sergeant Chambers departed from Southampton on October 6, 1919 for Australia on board H.T. Pakeha. The ship docked in Fremantle, W.A. (5th Military District) on November 16, 1919. News of their arrival was published in the:

He went before the Disembarkation Medical Board at No. 8 Aust General Hospital at Fremantle, W.A on November 16 and his statement of case reads:

Any wounds or injury? No

Any illness on Service? Yes Eczema 14 days La Gorgue Hospital

Mumps 1918 Hospital 3 weeks.

Soldiers Statement of present condition Good

Signature F.E. Chambers

Other tests - normal Dental check done.

Military Discharge was issued in Perth, W.A. (5th M.D.) on termination of his period of enlistment on January 8, 1920. As outlined in his English Discharge application he returned to Yorkshire.

Staff-Sergeant 969 Francis Ernest Chambers, 3rd Tunnelling Company was issued for service for his country the British War Medal (8083) and the Victory Medal (8050).

These medals were not collected from the designated barracks and returned to Base Records on September 30, 1924. A letter was sent to the last known address care of Post Office, Greenbushes, W.A. on November 18, 1924. His address was advised by the 5th Military District on December 12, 1924 to be at 74 The Broom, Rotherham, Yorks, England. Both medals were requested by the former soldier and forwarded by registered post no. 3556 on June 15, 1925.

It is possible the registered death in the Rotherham District, Yorkshire West Riding is Francis E. Chambers who passed away in March, 1935 aged 61 years.

Mrs Jessie Cranshaw Chambers died on January 26, 1970 at Whiston, Yorkshire. Their children were:

Constance Beatrice 1905-1956

Ruth 1907-1988

Stanley (Stan) Ernest 1908-1997