Sergeant William Scott

SERGEANT WILLIAM SCOTT

269 – 1st Tunnelling Company

In August 1946 the Sydney R.S.S.I.L.A. became custodian of a Military Medal and a British War Medal, which had been awarded for service during the Great War. They belonged to Sergeant William Scott, a Scotsman who was born in Roxburghshire, Scotland about 1875.

When war was declared in 1914 William was working in Papua, New Guinea. Oliver Woodward records in ‘My Story of the Great War’ that when he was mine operations manager for the Mt Morgan Gold Mining Company, during the same period, William Scott owned the Mt Diamond Mine near Port Moresby. It was he who farewelled Woodward on his journey from the Papuan tropics on August 17, 1914 when he was recalled to the company’s office at Mt Morgan, Queensland.

After the appeal for volunteers to form the Mining Corps circulated in the last quarter of 1915 William enlisted in Brisbane, Queensland on November 5, 1915 just stating on his form he was a forty year old Miner. He was the type of recruit they needed, experienced with mining staff and a mature and capable leader and was therefore quickly assigned to their training camp at Casula near Liverpool, NSW.

He was single and had no family living in Australia and therefore nominated his friend, Arthur Methune of Port Moresby as his Next of Kin. He passed the required medical examination which reveals his height of 162cms (5ft 3ins) with a build of 65kgs (143lbs) complimented with brown hair and a dark complexion and brown eyes.

He was assigned the Regimental number 269 and the rank of Sapper in the No. 1 Company of the Corps.

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’.

Sapper Scott was detailed to the 1st Tunnelling Company.

He was promoted to 2nd Corporal on December 1, 1916 rising to Corporal in April, 1917. A few weeks later on April 29, 1917 due to the transfer out of another Sergeant he was promoted to Sergeant in his section of the 1st Tunnelling Company.

Early in 1917 Sergeant Scott marched into a snowy camp of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company in the Ypres Salient with a detachment of reinforcements. There a chance meeting took place between three men who last saw each other in sunny Port Moresby. Sergeant Scott, Corporal Charles Short, the former mine foreman at the Mt Morgan Gold Mining Company, and now Captain, Oliver Woodward would unexpectedly renew their friendships during that brief unplanned reunion.

On September 30, 1917 his section was building a new entrance to old enemy dugouts and his daring efforts in procuring old beams helped complete the two-day job. Sometime during October 1st his fine work was halted by being wounded during this action, suffering a severe wound to his cheek caused by a shell fragment. He was transferred from Boulogne, France to England on the Hospital ship Stad Andwerpen and admitted to the 1st Southern General Hospital at Stirchley, Birmingham for 14 days in-patient treatment.

While in hospital he was recommended for the D.C.M. medal. He also received an undated letter of gratitude, which reads:

‘The Army Corps Commander wishes to express his appreciation of the gallant service rendered by this N.C.O. during the recent operations.’

On October 9, 1917 he was awarded the Military Medal instead and his citation reads:

‘This N.C.O. displayed a rare courage and set a fine example of determination and devotion to duty. At a mound at Polygon Wood on September 30th and 1st October a new entrance to the enemy tunnelled dugouts were being put in. The only supply of timber was from an old entrance directly under enemy observation.

Though subject to continued sniping and shell fire Sergeant Scott made many journeys for timber and it was largely due to his splendid example and disregard for danger that the work was successfully completed.’

He was discharged from hospital to furlough. He returned to duty with the Training Brigade at Longbridge, Deverill, England until he was able to return to France for duty on December 6th, where he rejoined his unit on December 22, 1917.

His friend Arthur Methune was duly notified of his wounding in action and telegrams between Port Moresby and Base Records asked for clarification.

For the remainder of his service on the Western Front he continued to be safe and well and suffered no permanent disability from his wound. He was sent to the Australian Corps for fourteen days instruction at the Gas School rejoining the 1st Tunnelling Company on July 27, 1918 and took leave from September 19th to October 4, 1918 about a month or so before Armistice was declared.

Around February 24, 1919 his unit assembled at the Australian General Base Depot, France for its return to Parkhouse, England. After serving almost three years abroad Sergeant Scott left Sutton Veny, Kent on April 1st for preparations in London to depart on the transport HMAT A7 Medic on April 10, 1919 and his return journey to Australia. The ship arrived on June 3, 1919 and he was discharged on July 18, 1919 in the 1st Military District.

Sergeant William Scott received for his service to his country the Military Medal, the Victory Medal (12047) and the British War Medal (12206).

There is no record of what happened to his Victory medal.