Our Indigenous Heroes - They Also Served
Our thanks to Diane Ashmore for once again sharing her great stories about the Indigenous men from Murwillumbah NSW. We appreciate your help.
FAMILY LIFE
Joseph Dunbar Sinclair (Joe) was on born on 5th May 1871 in Nowra. He was one of eleven children born to James Adolphus Sinclair and Jane Ryder Sinclair. Three of Joe’s sons also served- Arthur who returned to Australia in 1915 with a gunshot wound to his head & left eye, Robert, who was killed in Gallipoli in 1915. Four of Joe’s brothers also served: Arthur, Charles, George & John as well as three of his nephews- Harry, Frank & John. Joe had married Annie Amelia Carter in 1890 in Nowra. Joe & Annie had 2 sons Arthur, b1896, and Francis, aka Darcy b 1894 and a daughter Daisy, b1901. However, Alice Sinclair is listed as his wife in his attestation. There is no record of Annie's death.
ENLISTING AT 44 YEARS OLD
Why did Joe enlist when he did? By May 1917, he had already given more to the war than most men could bear. Both his sons had enlisted before him – one never came home from Gallipoli, buried in that far-off, stony ground, while the other returned to Australia broken in body, his youth stolen by wounds that would never truly heal.
He was 44 now, married with two children still under sixteen at home, his hair touched with grey and his hands rough from years of work. For most of the war, he had stayed where duty had placed him – as a husband, a father, a provider. But the war had reached into his home twice already, and it seemed to have left its shadow there.
Perhaps it was grief. Perhaps it was pride. Perhaps it was simply that he could no longer stand on the sidelines while others – younger men, strangers – shouldered the burden that his own boys had carried. By the middle of 1917, enlistments had slowed and the call for reinforcements was urgent. On 29 May 1917, he stepped forward at the recruiting office, giving his name, his age, and his willingness to serve. There was no fanfare. Just a man deciding that if his sons could give their lives and health for the Empire, he too could give what remained of his strength.
ATTESTATION
He travelled to Brisbane on 29th May 1917 to complete his application which showed his next of kin as his wife, Alice, of Murwillumbah. His medical showed he was 44 years 10 months old, 5ft 6½ inches tall (1.6m), weighed 10stone 5lbs (63kgs), with a dark complexion, brown eyes & black hair. His eyesight was good but he required dental treatment.
The Examining Medical Officer stated that Joseph “can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service.” On the second page of the Attestation Paper, he made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Joseph Dunbar Sinclair swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD.” He was Church of England and was enlisted as a private into the 47th Infantry Battalion with service No 3684.
TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA
As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together.
Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the men received their vaccinations for smallpox, rabies & plague, then a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave.
Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.
This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training would take several months.
The recruits were issued with their uniform: a khaki woollen jacket, heavy cord breeches and the famous slouch hat – turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge. A soldier’s equipment also included a dixie (mess tin), water bottle, mug, .303 Lee-Enfield rifle and bayonet.
VOYAGE OVERSEAS AUGUST TO OCTOBER 1917
Joe & the other recruits embarked at Sydney, New South Wales aboard HMAT Miltiades on 2 August 1917.
The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On-board, Officers organised rigorous training drills and exercise sessions for the men. They were expected to do their own washing, sweep the decks and carry out other chores.
Attempts at breaking up the boredom, apart from the regular drill, varied. Shipboard activities included regular church parades and concerts. Troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection. Sports and recreation included boxing, deck quoits, draughts. Also, the commanding officer's morning inspection; kit inspections; submarine drill; recreation such as the on deck 'open air' library, deck billiards, pillow fighting and card games including Nap. As well, conditions on the ships were cramped and the risk of illness was constant.
Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. Many of the troops experienced bouts of seasickness on the voyage. The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.
HOSPITALISED BAD KNEE AUGUST 1917
While on board Joe received treatment for a bad left knee on 3rd August and was discharged on 9th August 1917.
DISCIPLINED AUGUST 1917
On 23rd August Joe was disciplined for neglecting to obey an order. He was awarded 1 day “confined to barracks”. When a soldier was confined to barracks on a troop ship headed to England during WWI, it basically meant he was restricted to his quarters or a designated area on the ship as a form of disciplinary action or for health reasons.
Since there were no actual barracks on a ship, this phrase was used to indicate the soldier was not allowed to leave his assigned living space or cabin, and was often confined to prevent contact with others, to keep order, or as punishment for some infraction.
So, in short:
ENGLISH TRAINING CAMP OCTOBER 1917
By the time the Miltiades docked at Glasgow on 2 October 1917, autumn had settled over Britain and the air was sharp with the promise of rain.
From there, Joe and his fellow reinforcements were sent to Codford Camp in Wiltshire on 3 October. Codford was a sprawling training ground, a place where new arrivals learned the latest tactics from the Western Front – trench construction, wiring, gas drill, and live-fire exercises. It was also where men adjusted to the English climate, the damp chill seeping into bones unused to such cold.
They began their training with physical fitness exercises, they were taught individual and unit discipline, how to follow commands, how to march, some basic field skills and how to safely handle his weapons. Later, as soldiers specialised in a particular area (for example, machine gunner or signaller) they would be trained in specific skills and would take part in practice manoeuvres and sham fights. They would spend many hours learning training in the use of bayonets, anti- gas training and guard duty along with lectures on camouflage or trench warfare and much more.
Military training grounds, had soldiers exposed to harsh weather. The sanitary facilities in training camps were often rudimentary, and the spread of infections was common.
WESTERN FRONT & TRENCH WARFARE
His time in England was short. On 27 October, less than a month after arriving, Joe left for France via Southampton. The Channel crossing was rough, and the welcome on the other side was the rattle of troop trains carrying him closer to the war. For a time, he was held at an Australian Infantry Base Depot, waiting for orders.
On 2 January 1918, Joe was taken on strength with the 47th Battalion. The new year found him in the cold, muddy reality of the Western Front – part of the weary but determined Australian force holding the line through a war now in its fourth brutal year.
The soldiers now found themselves fighting the Germans in trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties. Trench warfare created a living environment for the men which was harsh, stagnant, and extremely dangerous. Not only were trenches constantly under threat of attack from shells or other weapons, but there were also many health risks that developed into large-scale problems for medical personnel. Apart from the inescapable cold during the winters in France & Belgium, trenches were often completely waterlogged and muddy, and crawling with lice and rats.
The time soldiers spent in the trenches varied depending on factors like their army's rotation system and the intensity of the conflict in their sector. On average:
The rotation system helped prevent complete physical and mental exhaustion, but the constant dangers of trench life meant there was rarely any true respite.
JANUARY TO APRIL 1918
Between January and April, the battalion was engaged in routine trench duties and local operations in northern France. Joe would have taken his turn in the fire bays, gone out on wiring parties in the frozen nights, and hauled rations and ammunition up duckboard tracks under the ever-watchful eyes of enemy snipers. When out of the line, there were still long route marches, inspections, and the backbreaking labour of repairing billets or digging new support trenches.
It was a life of constant fatigue, cold, and mud, punctuated by bursts of sudden danger.
HOSPITALISATION APRIL 1918
By April 1918, the strain began to tell. On 25 April, Joe was admitted to the Lines of Communication Hospital in France, his health worn down by the harsh conditions.
BASE DEPOT APRIL 1918
Five days later, on 30 April, Joe was discharged from hospital to a Base Depot. He was classified “B2” – fit for light duties, but no longer considered strong enough for the rigours of front-line service. For a man who had come so far to serve, it was a hard truth to accept.
CONVALESCENT CAMP MAY 1918
In mid-May, he was moved from France to England, arriving at the No. 2 Command Depot in Weymouth. Here, men unfit for further action were gathered, many awaiting return to Australia. Joe was reclassified Rheumatism “E” – permanently unfit for overseas service – and the decision was made to send him home.
RETURNED HOME JUNE 1918
On 4 June 1918, Joe boarded a ship bound for Australia. His discharge was officially noted as “over age,” a quiet acknowledgment that at 44 he had already given more than the Army could reasonably ask. He returned to his family with the satisfaction of having answered the call, even in the shadow of the loss and sacrifice that had first driven him to enlist.
FOR HIS SERVICE
For his service Joe was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal.
HOME LIFE
Alice had 5 children with Joe when he returned home. He finally married her in 1922 in Murwillumbah. Joe died 6th May 1930 in Murwillumbah & is buried in Murwillumbah Old Cemetery. Alice died in 1969
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
MR. J. D. SINCLAIR
The death occurred at Murwillumbah on Tuesday of Mr. Joseph Dunbar Sinclair, of Nobby's Creek, at the age of 60 years, after a brief illness. The late Mr. Sinclair was a returned soldier, having served in France with the 42nd Battalion for two years. He was one of six brothers who saw war service, and four sons of these brothers were also with the forces. He was invalided home suffering from wounds and the effects of gas and it is thought that his death was due in some measure to his war injuries. The late Mr. Sinclair had followed the occupations of dairyman and labourer in the Murwillumbah and Nobby Creek districts for about 25 years, and before that was engaged in similar pursuits on the Richmond River. He is survived by a widow and seven children. The sons are Arthur Leslie (Tweed Heads), Eric Alton (Bellbird, Cessnock), and John (Nobby's Creek). Another son, Darcy, was killed at Gallipoli in 1915. The daughters are Kathleen, Joyce, Elsie, and Jean, all of Nobby's Creek. The funeral took place at Murwillumbah on Wednesday. Northern Star, Friday 9 May 1930, page 6
Sources & References
Virtual War Memorial | Joseph Dunbar SINCLAIR
Joseph Dunbar Sinclair | Australian War Memorial
Joseph Dunbar Sinclair, wwi - Search
08 May 1930 - LATE MR. J. D. SINCLAIR - Trove
Joseph Dunbar Sinclair (1871-1930) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
Private Joseph Dunbar Sinclair (1871-1930) - Find a Grave Memorial
SINCLAIR soldiers | Stories | Anzac Square
