Nicholas Henry Birrell 923

SERGEANT NICHOLAS HENRY BIRRELL

923 – 3rd Tunnelling Company

Melbourne, Victoria was the birthplace of Nicholas Henry Birrell about 1870. His parents are unnamed.

About 1899 he moved to the Western Australia.

He stated previous military service in the South African War with the 3rd Regiment Australian Bushmen. Corroborating details could not be located.

His marriage to Ellen Sylvester Brady was registered in Perth, W.A. in 1916 and they had four sons.

At the Norseman, W.A. recruiting depot on November 13, 1915 the forty-four year old married miner applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the medical examination. Personal particulars taken show he was 174cms (5ft 8⅝ins) tall with a chest expansion of 91-95cms (35¾-37½ins). Declared fit his application was accepted by the recruiting officer.

Attestation forms were completed the next day which describe him further weighing 68kgs (150lbs) with a fair complexion, greenish grey eyes and brown hair. Volunteer said he had been vaccinated but his scar was hardly definitive but a distinctive graze scar of bullet on his left leg on the back of his calf was noted. Church of England was his religious faith.

Next-of-kin nominated was his wife Mrs Ellen Birrell of Norseman, W.A. and later at 179 York Street, Subiaco, W.A. and allotted three-fifths of his pay in support of her and their children. He was sworn in the same day.

Basic training commenced on November 18 with the 36th Depot Battalion until November 22 when he was transferred to the Mining Corps and promoted to Lance Corporal the next day. Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps had begun on December 1st, 1915 therefore L/Corporal Birrell 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.

Acknowledgement to the departing volunteers was published in:

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. Birrell was assigned the regimental number 923 in the rank of Corporal and on February 4, 1916 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.

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. These four sections re-combined to relieve the 255th Coy, Royal Engineers in the mining sector that included existing mine systems of Red Lamp; Winchester; Colvin; Ducks Bill and Sign Post Lane.

He was to be Acting Sergeant from August 19, 1916.

On October 10, 1916 the Company again relieved the 257th Coy R.E. in the Winchester Sector. A few days later he was to be Sergeant in the field on October 14.

The No.3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company on December 18, 1916 in the field.

Leave from France was granted from October 13 to October 23, 1917 and his service continued without incident, illness or injury.

Three Blue Chevrons were due to him on February 20, 1918 to wear on his uniform for two years’ service abroad.

He went sick on April 9, 1918 to the 2nd Aust. Casualty Clearing Station with P.U.O. (Pyrexia (fever) uncertain origin) and the next day conveyed on Ambulance Train 44 to St Omer entering the 59th General Hospital. On April 13 he was transferred to England on the hospital ship Pieter de Connick and admitted a day later to the Auxiliary Military Hospital, Southall affiliated with the Edmonton Military Hospital for treatment of gas poisoning.

His wife was notified by Base Records on May 7, 1918 that her husband had been wounded and suffering the effects of gas poisoning naming the hospital and his address for correspondence.

On May 1, 1918 he was discharged to the 2nd Aust Auxiliary Hospital. Furlough took place from May 14 to May 28, 1918 and to report to the No. 3 Command Depot at Hurdcott. He arrived from London Headquarters as ordered to the Depot remaining until June 26 when he was moved to No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth.

Disciplinary action was carried out for the following:

Offence: Westham camp 13/7/18 Allowing members of the guard to quit

Guard Room without urgent necessity.

Award: Reprimanded by Major E.F. Playford. 15/7/18

Sergeant Birrell embarked from England for Australia for discharge on July 21, 1918 due to premature senility (decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning) on board H.T. Boonah. Base Records advised his wife on August 8, 1918 that he was on his way home.

His name was on the list published in the:

The ship docked at Fremantle (5th Military District) on September 11, 1918. Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on September 26, 1918 as medically unfit due to old age.

He applied for land under the Soldiers’ Settler Scheme and the following diary extracts were published in:

For serving his country the British War Medal (8067) and the Victory Medal (8035) were issued to Sergeant Nicholas Henry Birrell, 3rd Tunnelling Company.

Mrs Ellen Birrell is registered residing at Albany Road, Maddington, W.A. in 1925.

The Perth Branch of the Repatriation Department applied to Base Records for a copy of his Service Records which were forwarded on November 28, 1925.

On June 22, 1926 a Base Records memo noted that particulars had been supplied to the Canteen Trust Fund which supplied assistance and benefits for returned soldiers who were seriously incapacitated.

Due to the effects of Emphysematous (a chronic, irreversible disease of lungs characterised by abnormal enlargement of air spaces accompanied by destruction of lung tissue lining the wall of the air spaces) he was an inmate of the Edward Miller Home at Victoria Park, Perth.

Nicholas Henry Birrell died on March 5, 1927 aged 58 years. Family arrangements were advertised in:

A small obituary and report of his funeral was published a day later in:

Expressions of thanks were printed in:

Estate administration was advertised in the:

The property at Maddington, W.A. was advertised for tenders late in 1934 and published in the:

His grave is located in the Anglican portion of Karrakatta Cemetery within section LA in gravesite no. 485 and is a Commonwealth War Grave.