O'Neill, John

5392 Sapper John O'Neill - 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company

John O'Neill was born in Copeland New South Wales in 1882 to John and Jane O'Neill. He had five siblings, Mary (1867), Alice (1872), Agnes (1877), Sarah (1886) and Thomas (1891).

 The family soon came over to Western Australia in the early 1900's and set up residence in Kalgoorlie. John's mother Jane died in Kalgoorlie in 1906, after which John moved to Fremantle, living at 84 East Street East Fremantle (later renumbered 56 East St).

John was working as an iron dresser and furnace maker.

On the 24th February 1916 John enlisted into the AIF. The medical officer passed him as fit for service and recorded his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 8 & 1/2 inches tall;

Weight - 131lbs;

Chest Measurement - 36 inches;

Complexion - Fair;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Light Brown.

Upon his successful enlistment, John was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp. His brother Tom, enlisted at the same time. After initially being sent to the Engineers Reinforcement Depot, John and Tom were transferred to the Tunnelling Company Reinforcements and was sent across to Victoria to complete their training. The Tunnellers would train at Seymour Army Camp. This training took place over the next few months.

On the 30th September 1916 John and Tom left Port Melbourne aboard the transport ship HMAT Suffolk and set sail via WA for England. After the long sea voyage the ship arrived at Plymouth England on the 2nd December 1917.

The men were then disembarked and sent to the Tunnellers Reinforcement Camp. John spent the next few weeks here and on the 1st January 1917 was sent across to France. After ten days in the Base Depot Camp, John was sent to join the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion.

John spent over two months with this unit and on the 21st March 1917 was officially taken on strength of the 2nd Australian Tunnelling Company.

The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of mines under enemy lines, as well as other underground work such as the construction of deep dugouts for troop accommodation, the digging of subways, saps (a narrow trench dug to approach enemy trenches), cable trenches and underground chambers for signals and medical services.

When John had joined them the 2nd Company were at Hill 60 near Ypres and they also provided supporting operations for the Messines offensive in June 1917. From July 1917 to early 1918 the 2nd Tunnelling Company was based at Nieuport on the Belgian coast. They had been moved there to help provide the British infantry with better dugouts and defences.

On the 10th July 1917, John and his brother Tom, with a party of other Tunnellers and infantry were underground improving the dugouts and tunnels when a German barrage fell on the position, with part of the tunnel collapsing. When they dug themselves out and came back to the surface, to their surprise they found the Germans in possession of the trenches. The O'Neill brothers and other tunnellers tried to escape but coming to a canal were unable to cross it and being unarmed and surrounded by Germans they had to surrender. Both John and Tom O'Neill were taken prisoners of War.

They were in Germany until the end of the war. When the Armistice was signed the Prisoners of War were returned to England. He arrived in England on the 30th December 1918. Upon arriving and reporting to AIF HQ, John was given a months leave.

On the 3rd February 1919 John reported into No.1 Command Depot Camp at Sutton Veny. He would wait here while waiting to be assigned a berth on a troopship home.

On the 3rd March 1919 John boarded the transport ship Euripides and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 10th April 1919. John was then discharged from the AIF on the 27th May 1919.

In 1922 in Fremantle John married Amy Victoria Elsegood at St John's Church in Fremantle and a son called Donald would be born in 1936.

John would be working locally as a furnaceman and they would reside at 160 Mary Street Beaconsfield (later renumbered 82 Mary and then renamed 82 Solomon St)

John O'Neill died on the 7th May 1951. He was  remated at Karrakatta Cemetery.