Lionel Randolph Marshall 3600A

SAPPER LIONEL RANDOLPH MARSHALL

3600A – 3rd Tunnelling Company

Born in 1885 at Emmaville, NSW to Hugh and Mary (nee Cooper) Marshall, Lionel signed the Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad at Boulder, WA on 15 January 1916, and on the same day was examined by the area medical officer and deemed fit for active service. He named his father, Hugh Marshall of Kanowna, WA, as his Next of Kin and stated his Calling as Labourer.

Lionel was 5ft 6½ tall, of dark complexion with blue eyes and black hair. He signed the Oath to ‘well and truly serve’ on 22 January at Blackboy Hill, WA, and was sent to 45 Depot for initial training until 29 February 1916. On 1 March he was appointed to the Miners Reinforcements with the rank of Private and the service number 3600, then assigned to the 6th Tunnelling Company (the Western Australia company) on 10 March and given the rank of Sapper. In July he proceeded to the Miners reinforcements Training Camp at Seymour, Victoria, for further training with the Mining Corps.

Lionel embarked from Melbourne on 16 August 1916 on board RMS Orontes as part of the 81 member 4th Reinforcements to the Mining Corps. On 9 September, whilst still at sea, Lionel was charged with being Absent Without Leave (AWOL) for 6 hours and forfeited 2 days pay. Disembarking at Plymouth, England on 2 October, the Reinforcements moved into No.3 Camp at Parkhouse before proceeding overseas to France on 15 October. Just before proceeding to France, Lionel availed himself of a couple of days un-approved leave, which resulted in another charge of AWOL for which he was awarded 7 days Confined to Barracks and the forfeiture of 3 days pay.

Following a little more than a month at the Australian General Base Depot at Etaples, Lionel marched in to the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company, and was taken on strength, on 23 November 1916, and was re-allocated the service number 3600A.

Lionel reported sick on 23 March 1918 and was admitted to the 1st Canadian Field Ambulance with debility. On 28 March he was admitted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital at Boulogne. He was evacuated to England on the 31st and admitted to the 1st Birmingham War Hospital. On 29 April he was transferred to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford and on 20 May was discharged to No.3 Commonwealth Depot at Hurdcott. He then marched out to the Overseas Training Brigade, at Longbridge Deverill on 27 June, and again proceeded overseas to France on 18 July. Another week at the A.G.B.D., Rouelles saw him rejoin his unit on 24 July 1918.

Lionel enjoyed some leave from France between 8 and 22 February 1919, and, after again rejoining his unit he was marched out to England for Repatriation on 2 April. Lionel left England on 5 June on board Somali, disembarking in 5th Military District on 8 July. He was discharged from the A.I.F. on 23 August 1919, entitled to wear the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Lionels’ Medical history was forwarded to the Repatriation Department, Perth, in March 1931. He died on 6 Dec 1932, aged 45, and is buried at Karrakatta Cemetery, Western Australia.