SAPPER JAMES LONG
1068 – 3rd Tunnelling Company
James Christopher Long stated he was born in North Adelaide, South Australia about 1872. He went to the goldfields of Western Australia where he married in 1906 to Caroline Mary Powell in Boulder, W.A. In 1912 they were living at 20 Egan Street, Kalgoorlie with his occupation as a miner.
At the recruiting depot in Kalgoorlie on November 23, 1915 the almost forty-three year old married miner applied to enlist for active service abroad and passed the preliminary medical examination. Personal particulars taken show he was 169cms (5ft 6¼ins) tall, with a chest expansion of 84-92cms (33-36ins) and passed the eye test with good vision in his brown eyes. Declared fit his application was accepted by the recruiting officer.
Attestation papers were completed and describe him further weighing 70kgs (154lbs) with a dark complexion and black hair. Religion was Roman Catholic. Next-of-kin nominated was his wife Caroline Mary Long of 92 Brookman Street, Kalgoorlie and allotted three-fifths of his pay in support of her and their children. He signed and took the ‘Enlistment Oath’ the same day.
Acknowledgement to the departing Kalgoorlie volunteers was published in the:
He was allotted to the Miner’s Unit for basic training on November 27, 1915.
Recruiting for the Miners’ Corps officially began on December 1st, 1915 therefore Private Long 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. Long was assigned the regimental number 1068 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.
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. On May 13, 1916 Sapper Long was assigned to the No. 4 Section and attached for duty to the 254th Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers.
Disciplinary action was taken on June 8, 1916 for the following:
Offence:Drunkenness 7/6/16
Award:Fined 10 shillings and 14 days C.B. [confined to billets]
On June 13, 1916 he went sick to hospital with pleurisy and treated at the No. 8 Casualty Clearing Station on June 16. Sapper was transferred on June 23 to the No. 7 General Hospital at St Omer with bronchitis.
He was invalided to England on July 4, 1916 on the hospital ship Jan Breydal from Boulogne with (slight) silicosis (disease of lungs caused by breathing rock dust - Miners’ complaint) entering the 5th Southern General Hospital in Portsworth.
On August 28, 1916 was discharged and to report to Administration Headquarters at No. 1 Command Depot, Southall the same day. On August 30 was classified by the medical board with B1a debility. The next day was granted furlough and report to the No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth.
He was taken on strength on September 11, 1916 from the hospital at Southall and marched out to Tidworth camp on October 27, 1916.
He is recorded in the Unit Diary of the 3rd Tunnelling Company as follows:
“On 13.10.17 the following men were detailed to return to Australia:-
1024 Spr Hall, W.J. 1068 Spr Long, J.
1111 “ O’Connor, J.S.1213 “ Wolfe, L.J.
1230 “ Keaven, E.1253 “ Hudson, S.T.
2481 “ Maney, H.E.4308 “ Dalgleish, A.M.
4326 “ Felipor, J. 4336 “ Gibb, C.G.
4345 “ Hadwin, J.4501 “ Walton, J.
5283 “ Beech, J.T.5962 “ Burns, J. (MM).”
The No. 3 Company was officially transferred to the 3rd Tunnelling Company in the field on December 18, 1916.
He left the No. 7 Details camp on December 19, 1916 marching into the Infantry Drafting Depot at Bhurtpore camp where it appears he remained for duty.
He marched in on August 16, 1917 to the No. 1 Command Depot at Perham Downs the proceeded to the Overseas Training Brigade camp. On August 31 he left for No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth.
He wrote a letter dated September 2, 1917 from the Citadel, Portland, Dorset, with military notation given as 1st Miners, Verne [part of Weymouth camp].
Sapper Long embarked for Australia on September 27, 1917 due to an old fracture of his right femur and being overage on the H.T. Suevic. Base Records would have advised his wife that he was returning home. The ship docked at Fremantle (5th M.D.) on November 12, 1917.
He entered the No. 8 General Hospital at Fremantle for the Disembarkation Medical Examination and was discharged to the Details Camp at Karrakatta the following day.
Military Discharge was issued in Perth (5th M.D.) on November 28, 1917 due to being overage.
Sapper 1068 James Long, 3rd Tunnelling Company was issued with the British War Medal (8158) and the Victory Medal (8124) for serving his country.
In 1922 they were residing at 5 Maritana Street, Kalgoorlie and the following year at Lakeside Woodline.
His wife died suddenly on February 20, 1923 aged 47 years with a private interment in the Anglican portion of the Kalgoorlie cemetery. Sad news was announced in Adelaide, S.A. in the:
James Long returned to Adelaide, S.A.
The Adelaide branch of the Repatriation Commission requested a copy of his service from Base Records which was sent on June 21, 1928.
James regularly placed Bereavement Notices for his wife in the:
James Christopher Long died on August 12, 1932 aged 59 years and news of his demise was reported in the:
Burial took place on August 15, 1932 in the A.I.F. Light Oval portion of the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide, S.A. within Row 9N.
© Donna Baldey 2016