SAPPER NICHOLAS TETOLL
299 – 1st Tunnelling Company
Nicholas Tetoll (also spelt as Nikolas, Nickolas Tetoll or Tetol) was born on February 25, 1885 in Rostrum in the Province of Moscow, Russia. He came to Australia and in 1915 was working as a labourer.
At the Recruiting Depot in Rockhampton, Queensland on September 18, 1915 at thirty years of age Nicholas applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Attestation Forms were completed giving details of height 170cms (5ft 8ins), weight 64.5kgs (142lbs) with a chest measurement of 94cms (37ins). Complexion was fresh with brown eyes and fair hair. Church of England was given as his religious faith. He stated he was a Naturalised British Subject and the Attesting Officer crossed this out on his form indicating he had not examined naturalisation papers or their correctness. Next-of-kin nominated was his father Mr J. Tetoll of Rostrum, Russia and he signed and took the ‘Oath of Allegiance’ the same day.
The Mining Corps was in its first stages of establishment therefore Nicholas did basic training at their Casula camp near Liverpool, NSW. He was assigned to the No. 1 Company, Mining Corps in the rank of Sapper with the regimental number 299.
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’.
On December 24, 1916 Sapper Tetoll was transferred to the 1st Tunnelling Company.
Service remained incident free until August 18, 1917 when he went sick to hospital but returned to his unit a few days later on August 21.
On September 6, 1917 he was wounded in action and sent to the 72nd Field Ambulance after receiving a wound to his left leg by shrapnel. A transfer to the 37th Casualty Clearing Station followed then conveyed on A.T.32 to Etaples and admitted to the 56th General Hospital.
The Unit Diary (August 30 to September 5) of the 1st Tunnelling Company gives the following details:
He was evacuated to England on September 17 on the hospital ship Brighton and admitted to Sholden Lodge Auxiliary Hospital at Deal, Kent, diagnosis being gunshot wound knee joint. Treatment received was manipulation of knee joint as he only had slight movement. After twenty-nine days he was relocated on October 15 to Shorncliffe Military Hospital and a patient for nine days entering the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford on October 24, 1917.
A Kit Inspection on arrival took place and his woollen breeches and jacket were returned to Ordnance.
The following articles were issued on discharge from hospital after overseas service:
Holdall, Housewife, Towel, 2 Collar Badges, 1 Australia Titles and a Sea Kit Bag.
During his six days there he went before a medical board the next day and his Statement of Case is as follows:
Disability:Gunshot wound to left knee
Date of disability:Sept 6, 1917
Place of disability:France
Essential facts:Wound opening into left knee joint. Wound healed. Patient able to
bend knee about 70 degrees. Improving under massage.
Cause of disability:Due to G.S.W. received on active service.
Present condition:Wound healed. Limitation of movement at knee.
Was an operation performed:Yes – opening and cleaning of knee joint.
Recommendation:Change to Australia.
Disability attributed to:G.S.W.
Re-examination in:6 months
Degree of disablement:100 percent for pension purposes.
Approved:9/11/17 Unfit for all services for six months. At No. 1 Group Monte Video camp, No 2. Command Depot, Weymouth.
Approval granted:7/12/17 by Administrative Medical Officer.
On arrival at Weymouth another Kit Inspection took place on October 30, 1917 and the next day these items were issued to him:
Pair Drawers, Flannel shirt, Woollen socks, Woollen breeches, a comforter cap and Woollen gloves.
While in the Monte Video camp the following was dealt with on November 11, 1917:
Offence:8/11/17 Absent from sanitation fatigue after being duly warned.
Award:7 days C.B. [Confined to Barracks]
Another Kit Inspection was taken on November 5, 1917 at ‘D Coy’ Monte Video camp and these items were issued:
Holdall, Housewife, Chin strap and Boot laces.
Final Inspection of his Kit was done on December 10, 1917 and these items were issued:
Fork, Knife and Spoon, two singlets and one identity disc.
Sapper Tetoll boarded the hospital conveyance H.T. Runic at Keyham, Plymouth, Eng on December 20, 1917 and the ship departed two days later. His berth for the return voyage was an Upper Berth. The ship docked in Melbourne, Vic (3rd Military District) on February 13, 1918 and he travelled by steamer for Sydney, NSW (2nd M.D.) arriving in Brisbane, Qld (1st M.D.) on February 17, 1918.
Entered the 6th Aust General Hospital at Kangaroo Point that day with his documents marked ‘cannot put much weight on foot.’ He went before the medical board and they found the following:
G.S.W. left knee
Can bear to about ¾ flexion, there is still a little at joints and a lot of grating in knee joint.
Discharge recommended
Disability 1 month to 6 months.
He was discharged from hospital on March 17, 1918 on a pension and sent to the S.O.I.R.S. (Staff Officer for Invalid and Returned Soldiers) to receive his Military Discharge as medically unfit.
On March 20, 1918 Sergeant Penn wrote the following G.M.P. report when Sapper Tetoll appeared before
Assistant Provost Marshall:
He was fined $1.40 (14/-) being $1.00 (10/-) fine and 40c (4/-) expense for cab fare by the Assistant Provost Marshall and remanded to the Staff Officer for Invalids. He had no property on him at the time of arrest.
In 1919 he was working with the lift gang at Orallo as a labourer.
Sapper 299 Nicholas Tetoll, 1st Tunnelling Company, received the British War Medal (12215) and the Victory Medal (12056) for serving his country.
Over indulging in alcohol caught out Nicholas Tetoll as the following instances in several localities around the Rockhampton district were reported:
On July 17, 1944 while at A.W. Camp, Archerfield, Brisbane, Qld he declared that he had lost his Military Discharge, the circumstance being ‘It fell out of my pocket about 15 years ago’ and requested Base Records of a duplicate certificate. The duplicate was dated July 22, 1944.
Later that year in the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin on Friday December 15, 1944 & The Brisbane Courier on Tuesday December 19, 1944 these notices appeared, in order to draw the Aged Pension:
Duaringa, Qld was still his place of residence in 1949 and in 1953 at Bouldercombe between Rockhampton and Mount Morgan.
Nicholas Tetoll died on October 16, 1953 aged 68 years.
The following notices were published in the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin as his Estate was being finalised:
© Donna Baldey 2011
Following information from:
NICHOLAS TETOLL
Russian spellingНиколай Иванович Тетол (?)
Born 25.02.1885Place Kostroma, Central RussiaEthnic origin RussianReligion Church of England
Father Tetoll, Ivan
Arrived at Australia
from Hong Kongon 2.09.1909perdisembarked at Sydney
Residence before enlistment Brisbane, Blackbutt-Cooran, Oakley, Rockhampton & Duaringa, Mackay district, Qld
Occupation labourer, miner
Service
service number 299enlisted 18.09.1915POE Rockhampton, Qld
unit 1st Tunnelling Companyrank Sapper
place Western Front, 1916-1917casualties WIA 1917
final fate RTA 20.12.1917discharged 17.03.1918
Naturalisation 1946
Residence after the war Oakley, Roma, Stanthorpe, Rockhampton district, Duaringa, Qld
Died 16.10.1953 Mt Usher, Bouldercombe, Qld
Materialsnaturalisation (NAA)
digitised service records (NAA)
Did not miss the procession. - Morning Bulletin, Rockhampton, 17 November 1924, p. 8.