Johnston, William James
5114 Private William James Johnston - 1st Australian Tunnelling Company AIF
William was born on the 3rd December 1870 in Fremantle to William and Jane Johnston, being one of seven siblings in the family. He was educated in Fremantle and did an apprenticeship in Carpentry.
On the 29th July 1896 he joined the WA Government Railways and during this time he also served with the Fremantle Volunteers Rifles of the Colonial Forces.
Through the 1900's he continued to live in Fremantle, residing with his brother George in Irwin street Fremantle. However he soon headed north to Broome where he took up Pearling. He was still working as a Pearler in Broome when he enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force.
On the 3rd May 1915 William enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 5 & 3/4 inches tall;
Weight - 170lbs;
Chest Measurement - 34-36 inches;
Complexion - Dark;
Eyes - Brown;
Hair - Dark.
Upon his successful enlistment, William was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements to the 11th Battalion AIF. He is listed as those who embarked from Fremantle Harbour, however it appears he deserted from camp just prior to embarkation and did not reappear and was declared a deserter. Something must have come up for William to desert as he re-enlisted in November 1915.
After a few months in the depot training company he was assigned to the 2nd Reinforcements to the 51st Battalion AIF. William was then transferred to the Tunnelling Company reinforcements. As the Tunnellers were being trained in Victoria William was sent east to complete his training. He was then based at Seymour Army Camp.
On the 19th July 1916 William embarked from Port Melbourne as part of the Tunnelling Company reinforcement group aboard the troopship Armadale. The ship arrived in England on the 20th September 1916 and William and his group were disembarked and sent to No.3 Camp at Parkhouse.
William would spent the next few months in England training. On the 28th January 1917 he was sent across to France and was initially assigned to the 1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion. On the 8th April 1917 he was taken on strength of the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company.
The 1st Australian Tunnelling Company were then in Belgium at Hill 60. They were keeping the tunnels under Hill 60 clear and keeping the explosives ready prior to the Battle of Messines when the tunnels under the German line would be blown up.
On the 1st May 1917 William got into trouble for being drunk on duty and was given 12 days of Field Punishment No.2 This punishment often involved hard labour and extra duties. He was with the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company when the mines under Hill 60 were blown up.
They then remained in this area for the next few months. On the 27th July 1917 William went absent without leave for three days. As a result he was given three months of Field Punishment No.2.
In November 1917 he was hospitalised as he was diagnosed with typhoid but this seems to have been changed to trench fever. He had a few weeks at the 30th General Hospital at Calais before being shipped to England. On arrival in England William was sent to Bath War Hospital. He had three weeks here before being transferred to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield.
On the 29th December 1917 William was then transferred to No.3 Command Depot Camp at Hurdcott. After further medical tests, William's fitness level was downgraded and he was found to be medically unfit for further service. On the 8th Jnauary 1918 he was transferred to No.2 Command Depot Camp at Weymouth and he would remain here while waiting to be assigned to a hospital ship home. On the 1st February 1918 William boarded the hospital ship Balmoral Castle and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 18th March 1918.
He joined his brother George in Irwin Street East Fremantle and was then discharged from the AIF on the 2nd April 1918.
William then returned to the North West of WA. He died on the 30th May 1942 in Onslow WA.