John Knox Macbeth 1095

SECOND CORPORAL JOHN KNOX MacBETH

1095 – 3rd Tunnelling Company

John Knox MacBeth was born in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland on February 1, 1863 the son of Robert and Georgina (Jean) (nee Knox) and registered under the spelling of McBeath. In 1871 the family were residing at 11 James Street, Hamilton and was made up of Robert (52) coal miner, wife Jean (46) and children Robert (18) Charles and (16) coal miners, William (12) and John (6) scholars, Helen (6) and Jean (1).

Ten years later in 1881 they were at 78 Eddlewood Buildings, Hamilton and household members were Robert (60) coal miner, Georgina (55), William (22) and John (18) coal miners, Jeannie (11) and Helen (16) with Matthew Todd (31) boarder.

In 1885 at twenty-two years of age John McBeth a miner from Lanarkshire embarked from Plymouth, England for New South Wales, Australia on April 14 on the S.S. Bombay and arrived in Sydney on June 5, 1885. He was accompanied by James Moore (24) labourer and George McNair (27) labourer under their agent W. Ferguson to go to Wallsend, near Newcastle, NSW. News of the arrival was reported in the:

John married on New Year’s Day, 1890 in the district to Clara Jane Griffiths and later followed mining to the goldfields of Western Australia. He sat for the Technical Examination for Engine Driver Certificate in 1897 with the results published in the:

In 1901 he was successful in his application to buy land in Kalgoorlie, W.A. with the details printed in the:

In 1903 their residence was at Robert Street, Kalgoorlie where he worked as a miner. The following was reported from the Kalgoorlie Police Court in 1907:

Their residence continued at 719 Roberts Street, Kalgoorlie being registered up to 1912 with the occupation of engine driver. The following household items were to be auctioned and advertised in the:

Later that year at the recruiting depot in Kalgoorlie on November 23, 1915 the married miner applied to enlist for active service abroad. Passing the medical examination he deleted a few birthdays to give his age as forty-nine years and personal particulars taken show he was 170cms (5ft 7ins) tall with a chest expansion of 97-100cms (38-40½ins). The eye test showed his blue eyes to have fair vision in the right eye and very poor sight in the left one. His postal address was Mt Charlotte House, Sutherland Street, Kalgoorlie and was declared fit for service. The application was accepted by the recruiting officer who proceeded with Attestation Forms. These describe him further weighing 80.9kgs (178lbs) with a fair complexion and brown hair. Religion was Presbyterian. Next-of-kin nominated was his wife Clara Jane MacBeth of Chisholm Street, Kalgoorlie, W.A. and allotted two-fifths of his pay in support of her. He signed and took the ‘Enlistment Oath’ the same day.

Acknowledgement to the departing Kalgoorlie volunteers was published in the:

On arrival at Blackboy Hill camp, near Perth he was assigned to the Miners’ Unit in the rank of Private.

Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 therefore Private MacBeth 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. On February 4, 1916 MacBeth was assigned the regimental number 1095 in the rank of Second Corporal 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.

His service continued without incident or illness and the No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.

On April 5, 1917 2/Cpl MacBeth was detached from the Company to the Aust General Base Depot at Etaples for Permanent Base Duty but on April 20 sent to the 56th Casualty Clearing Station with bronchial asthma. He left the 32nd Stationary Hospital in Wimereux on April 28 and conveyed to England on the hospital ship Jan Breydal entering the Military Hospital in Silver Street, Edmonton with debility.

Was transferred on May 25, 1917 to the 3rd Aust Auxiliary Hospital in Darford then discharged to furlough and report to Headquarters on July 9. He marched in from H.Q. to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth as ordered.

2/Corporal MacBeth departed for Australia on July 27, 1917 for Home Service due to chronic bronchitis on board the H.T. Demosthenes. His wife would have been advised by Base Records that he was returning home. The ship docked in Fremantle (5th M.D.) on September 24, 1917.

Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on October 5, 1917 due to medical unfitness and overage. Deducted from his pay was £1/7/4d being the price of his Greatcoat which was not returned on discharge.

The British War Medal (8199) and the Victory Medal (8144) were issued to Second Corporal 1095 John Knox MacBeth, 3rd Tunnelling Company for serving his country.

His residence in 1925 was 10 Forbes Street, Kalgoorlie working as an engine driver.

Statements of his Service were requested by the Perth Branch of the Repatriation Commission and sent from Base Records on January 9, 1928 and May 15, 1935.

He went to Tasmania staying at 11 Pine Street, Hobart where the following was reported in 1930 in the:

Back in Kalgoorlie a year later in 1931 he was registered living at 121 Arthurton Street and in 1936 was pensioner residing at 6 Brookman Street, Perth and a year later was at 120 Stirling Street, Perth.

John Knox MacBeth died on May 27, 1940 aged 77 years. Cremation Service took place at Karrakatta Crematorium and his ashes were scattered over a garden at Karrakatta Cemetery. Announcement of his demise was published in the:

His death was also reported in the Military column in the:

Mrs Macbeth passed away on December 10, 1947 at Mosman Park. Family announcement was printed in the:

She is memorialised in a rose garden located at site 4A in position 1 at Karrakatta Crematorium.

Final Land Transfer of property owned by him was advertised in the: