434:: "shell farm") to the Germans and as "Glory Hole" to the British. In December 1914, French engineers had begun tunnelling beneath the ruins. With the war on the surface at stalemate, both sides continued to probe beneath the opponent's trenches and detonate ever-greater explosive charges. In August 1915, the French and Germans were working at a depth of 12 metres (39 ft); the size of their charges had reached 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb). The British extended and deepened the system, first to 24 metres (79 ft) and ultimately 30 metres (98 ft). Above ground the infantry occupied trenches just 45 metres (148 ft) apart. Around La Boisselle, the Germans had dug defensive transversal tunnels at a depth of about 80 feet (24 metres), parallel to the front line.
344:
336:
517:
328:
49:
66:
592:. During summer and much of autumn 1916, the unit further developed and expanded its mining to create an effective underground defence at Roclincourt-Chantecler. In May 1916, a German infantry attack at Vimy, which forced the British back 640 metres (700 yd), was aimed at neutralising British mining activity by capturing the shaft entrances. From June 1916, however, the Germans withdrew many miners to work on the
237:
each commanded by a regular Royal
Engineers officer. These companies each comprised 5 officers and 269 sappers; they were aided by additional infantrymen who were temporarily attached to the tunnellers as required, which almost doubled their numbers. The success of the first tunnelling companies formed under Norton-Griffiths' command led to mining being made a separate branch of the Engineer-in-Chief's office under
630:– where mines had so altered and damaged the landscape as to render occupation of the mine craters by the infantry all but impossible –, led to the decision to remove offensive mining from the central sector allocated to the Canadian Corps at Vimy Ridge. Further British mines in the area were vetoed following the blowing by the Germans on 23 March 1917 of nine craters along
26:
597:
this was subsequently postponed. After
September 1916, when the Royal Engineers had completed their network of defensive galleries along most of the front line, offensive mining largely ceased although activities continued until 1917. The British gallery network beneath Vimy Ridge eventually grew to a length of 12 kilometres (7.5 mi).
642:
against the German strongpoint known as the Pimple, was not completed in time for the attack. The gallery had been pushed silently through the clay, avoiding the sandy and chalky layers of the Vimy Ridge, but by 9 April 1917 was still 21 metres (70 ft) short of its target. In the end, two mines
236:
was also restricted by the need to provide effective counter-measures to the German mining activities. To make the tunnels safer and quicker to deploy, the
British Army enlisted experienced coal miners, many outside their nominal recruitment policy. The first nine companies, numbers 170 to 178, were
613:
charges were eventually laid. At the same time, 19 crater groups existed along this section of the
Western Front, each with several large craters. In order to assess the consequences of infantry having to advance across cratered ground after a mining attack, officers from the Canadian Corps visited
580:
Tunnelling
Companies. From spring 1916, the British had deployed five tunnelling companies along the Vimy Ridge, and during the first two months of their tenure in the area, 70 mines were fired, mostly by the Germans. Between October 1915 and April 1917 an estimated 150 French, British and German
596:
and also for work in coal mines in
Germany. In the second half of 1916 the British constructed strong defensive underground positions, and from August 1916, the Royal Engineers developed a mining scheme to support a large-scale infantry attack on the Vimy Ridge proposed for autumn 1916, although
563:
The front sectors at Vimy and Arras, where extremely heavy fighting between the French and the
Germans had taken place during 1915, had been taken over by the British in March 1916. Vimy, in particular, was an area of busy underground activity. British tunnellers progressively took over military
604:
was posted to the northern part of Vimy Ridge in
October 1916 and preparations for an attack were revived in February 1917. 185th Tunnelling Company then dug subways near Neuville-Saint-Vaast in early 1917. Prior to the Battle of Vimy Ridge (9 – 12 April 1917), the British tunnelling companies
425:
Early attempts at mining by the
British on the Western Front had commenced in late 1914 in the soft clay and sandy soils of Flanders. Mining at La Boisselle was in chalk, much harder and requiring different techniques. The German advance had been halted at La Boisselle by French troops on 28
405:
Tunnelling
Companies there to relieve the French engineers, but the British did not have enough miners to take over the large number of French shafts and the French agreed to leave their engineers at work for several weeks. To provide the tunnellers needed, the British formed the
231:
which required the deployment of new drafts of tunnellers for several months after the formation of the first eight companies. The lack of suitably experienced men led to some tunnelling companies starting work later than others. The number of units available to the
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501:
in March 1916, which finished and fired it. A month before the handover, eighteen men of the 185th Tunnelling Company (2 officers, 16 sappers) died to a German camouflet at La Boisselle on 4 February 1916.
203:
Norton-Griffiths ensured that tunnelling companies numbers 170 to 177 were ready for deployment in mid-February 1915. In the spring of that year, there was constant underground fighting in the
457:
and allow the infantry to attack the German positions from a comparatively short distance. Four mines were planned at La Boisselle: Two 3,600-kilogram (8,000 lb) charges (known as
258:
605:
secretly laid a series of explosive charges under German positions in an effort to destroy surface fortifications before the assault. The original plan had called for 17 mines and 9
268:
Most tunnelling companies were formed under Norton-Griffiths' leadership during 1915, and one more was added in 1916. On 10 September 1915, the British government sent an appeal to
150:
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.
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unit. The formation of twelve new tunnelling companies, between July and October 1915, helped to bring more men into action in other parts of the Western Front.
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426:
September 1914. There was bitter fighting for possession of the village cemetery, and for farm buildings on the south-western edge of the village, known as "
159:
127:
79:
771:
233:
185:
165:
758:
Peter Barton/Peter Doyle/Johan Vandewalle, Beneath Flanders Fields - The Tunnellers' War 1914-1918, Staplehurst (Spellmount) (978-1862272378) p. 165.
176:
to a planned system. As the British had failed to develop suitable counter-tactics or underground listening devices before the war, field marshals
489:
after the trenches from which they were dug, were laid to the north-east and the south-east of La Boisselle on either side of the German salient –
308:
tunnelling companies were formed by March 1916, resulting in 30 tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers being available by the summer of 1916.
638:
were also dropped from the British plans. They were left in place after the assault and were only removed in the 1990s. Another mine, prepared by
377:
In the Somme sector of the Western Front, local but very fierce underground fighting had taken place in the winter of 1914 and spring of 1915 at
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193:
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agreed to investigate the suitability of forming British mining units. Following consultations between the Engineer-in-Chief of the
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as it was probable that the Germans were aiming to restrict an Allied attack to predictable points. The three mines already laid by
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262:
25:
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unit was formed from men on the battlefield, plus two other companies trained in Canada and then shipped to France. Three
1104:
468:
427:
1257:
707:
371:
169:
441:(1 July – 18 November 1916) were begun, the tunnelling companies were to make two major contributions by placing
142:. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of
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185th Tunnelling Company was formed in Rouen in October 1915, moved immediately to the Somme area, for work at
1262:
775:
552:, which had moved to Neuville-Saint-Vaast in April 1916 and remained there for a considerable time, and the
220:
292:. On 17 September, New Zealand became the first Dominion to agree the formation of a tunnelling unit. The
254:
216:
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367:
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mining in the area from the French between February and May 1916. Other units active around Vimy were
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fire along no man's land. To assist the attack on the village, two further mines, known as
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office of the Engineer-in-Chief. A second group of tunnelling companies were formed from
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beneath the German positions along the front line and by preparing a series of shallow
356:
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93:
54:
1150:
The Thirty-Fourth Division, 1915–1919: The Story of its Career from Ripon to the Rhine
813:
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charges were fired to support the attack, including those forming a northern flank.
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615:
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charges were fired in this 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) sector of the Western Front.
378:
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135:
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1210:
The Work of the Royal Engineers in the European War 1914 -1919, – MILITARY MINING
146:
under enemy lines, as well as other underground work such as the construction of
585:
446:
281:
139:
111:
36:
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on 3 February 1916 and was deployed to the Western Front in northern France. A
1258:
List of tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers, with short unit histories
1218:
Thirty-odd Feet Below Belgium: An Affair of Letters in the Great War 1915-1916
609:
charges to support the infantry attack, of which 13 (possibly 14) mines and 8
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Units of 185th Tunnelling Company were the first British troops to enter
619:
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1153:(Naval & Military Press ed.). London: H. F. & G. Witherby.
370:. From its formation until the end of the war the company served under
772:"Corps History – Part 14: The Corps and the First World War (1914–18)"
548:. 185th Tunnelling Company seems to have shared this sector with the
1084:
626:
had been blown. Their reports and the experience of the Canadians at
390:
269:
200:
formally approved the tunnelling company scheme on 19 February 1915.
1263:'Men of 179th and 185th Tunnelling Companies' Paper by Simon Jones.
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185th Tunnelling Company next moved to the "Labyrinth" sector near
473:, intended to wreck German tunnels and create crater lips to block
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537:
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1286:
Military units and formations of the British Army in World War I
812:
Anthony Byledbal, "New Zealand Tunnelling Company: Chronology" (
541:
525:
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On 29 March 1916, the 185th Tunnelling Company was relieved at
497:
on 11 November 1915, and eventually handed the tunnels over to
414:
Tunnelling Companies in August 1915, followed by the 185th and
1237:
The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018
359:; for an aerial view of the site with marked front lines, see
241:, and the appointment of an 'Inspector of Mines' at the GHQ
659:, on 17 October 1918, during the great advance to victory.
732:"Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Norton-Griffiths (1871–1930)"
808:
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were blown before the attack, while three mines and two
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1192:War Underground – The Tunnellers of the Great War
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339:Geological cross-section of the Somme battlefield
493:. 185th Tunnelling Company started work on the
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164:By January 1915 it had become evident to the
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1291:Tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers
1235:Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi,
160:Tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers
912:
520:British-dug fighting tunnel in Vimy sector
24:
794:
792:
766:
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556:, which was relieved in this area by the
774:. Royal Engineers Museum. Archived from
734:. Royal Engineers Museum. Archived from
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722:
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936:
680:
528:in March 1916. The German "Labyrinth"
15:
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1042:
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418:Tunnelling Companies in October. The
331:Map of chalk areas in northern France
284:to raise tunnelling companies in the
7:
261:of the Royal Engineers, which was a
624:mines on the first day of the Somme
323:Mines on the first day of the Somme
14:
1083:Banning, J.; et al. (2011).
558:2nd Australian Tunnelling Company
449:from the British front line into
430:" to the French, as "Granathof" (
80:Royal Engineer tunnelling company
259:1st Northumberland Field Company
64:
47:
437:As Allied preparations for the
422:was also present on the Somme.
857:http://www.lochnagarcrater.org
590:New Zealand Tunnelling Company
294:New Zealand Tunnelling Company
1:
1296:Tunnel warfare in World War I
1130:Underground Warfare 1914–1918
1005:The Durand Group: Vimy Ridge
1132:. Pen & Sword Military.
832:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 19.
798:Watson & Rinaldi, p. 49.
192:, and the mining specialist
714:, access date 25 April 2015
705:The Tunnelling Companies RE
453:, which would be opened at
257:, who were attached to the
1312:
1239:, Tiger Lily Books, 2018,
1030:
1018:
883:La Boisselle Study Group,
823:), access date 5 July 2015
509:
347:Plan of the area south of
320:
157:
1190:Alexander Barrie (1988).
23:
1147:Shakespear, J. (2001) .
1089:La Boisselle Study Group
1009:, access date 2016-08-03
891:), accessed 25 June 2015
874:), accessed 25 June 2015
640:176th Tunnelling Company
636:172nd Tunnelling Company
554:172nd Tunnelling Company
550:176th Tunnelling Company
499:179th Tunnelling Company
443:19 large and small mines
420:181st Tunnelling Company
124:185th Tunnelling Company
19:185th Tunnelling Company
1216:Arthur Stockwin (ed.),
239:Major-General S.R. Rice
521:
467:
428:L'îlot de La Boisselle
363:
351:with locations of the
340:
332:
255:Monmouthshire Regiment
251:1st and 3rd Battalions
172:that the Germans were
1128:Jones, Simon (2010).
738:on September 19, 2006
628:St Eloi in April 1916
546:Notre Dame de Lorette
519:
346:
338:
330:
194:John Norton-Griffiths
1220:, Parapress (2005),
1103:Dunning, R. (2015).
534:Neuville-Saint-Vaast
512:Battle of Vimy Ridge
128:tunnelling companies
90:military engineering
1045:, pp. 134–135.
925:Banning et al. 2011
778:on January 18, 2007
588:-Chantecler by the
439:Battle of the Somme
355:(top left) and the
1270:The Lochnagar Mine
870:2015-06-29 at the
819:2015-07-06 at the
710:2015-05-10 at the
522:
465:) were planted at
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341:
333:
1226:978-1-89859-480-2
1139:978-1-84415-962-8
1105:"Military Mining"
544:and not far from
532:was located near
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1111:. Archived from
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249:miners from the
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1184:Further reading
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1118:
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1115:on 27 June 2015
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950:"List of names"
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913:Shakespear 1921
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872:Wayback Machine
861:Military Mining
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594:Hindenburg Line
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134:created by the
132:Royal Engineers
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560:in May 1916.
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1172:. Retrieved
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1117:. Retrieved
1113:the original
1108:
1092:. Retrieved
1088:
1085:"Tunnellers"
1077:Bibliography
1062:
1050:
1038:
1031:Boire (1992)
1026:
1019:Boire (1992)
1014:
958:. Retrieved
954:the original
944:
937:Dunning 2015
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740:. Retrieved
736:the original
669:Mine warfare
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616:La Boisselle
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506:Vimy 1916/17
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447:Russian saps
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379:La Boisselle
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368:La Boisselle
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349:La Boisselle
312:Unit history
274:South Africa
267:
217:Railway Wood
202:
190:George Fowke
188:, Brigadier
163:
148:deep dugouts
136:British Army
123:
121:
70:British Army
586:Roclincourt
296:arrived at
282:New Zealand
263:Territorial
140:World War I
112:World War I
108:Engagements
103:"The Moles"
100:Nickname(s)
37:World War I
1280:Categories
1174:19 October
1067:Jones 2010
1055:Jones 2010
1043:Jones 2010
981:Jones 2010
960:2015-06-26
901:Jones 2010
842:Jones 2010
782:2015-12-02
742:2015-12-02
675:References
651:Douai 1918
622:where the
536:, between
530:stronghold
463:No 5 right
397:moved the
372:First Army
353:Glory Hole
306:Australian
243:Saint-Omer
198:War Office
154:Background
1021:pp. 22–23
486:Lochnagar
455:zero hour
286:Dominions
278:Australia
229:The Bluff
182:Kitchener
868:Archived
817:Archived
708:Archived
663:See also
620:Fricourt
475:enfilade
383:Fricourt
302:Canadian
298:Plymouth
1169:6148340
1119:26 June
1094:26 June
885:History
491:see map
288:of the
253:of the
225:St Eloi
213:Hill 60
168:at the
138:during
130:of the
43:Country
1243:
1230:online
1224:
1198:
1167:
1157:
1136:
1007:online
889:online
865:online
814:online
645:Wombat
611:Wombat
607:Wombat
469:L'îlot
432:German
391:Carnoy
270:Canada
196:, the
178:French
174:mining
61:Branch
52:
33:Active
1033:p. 20
657:Douai
578:255th
574:184th
570:182nd
566:175th
538:Arras
480:Y Sap
416:252nd
412:179th
408:178th
403:183rd
399:174th
395:Fowke
247:Welsh
209:Hooge
144:mines
1241:ISBN
1222:ISBN
1196:ISBN
1176:2014
1165:OCLC
1155:ISBN
1134:ISBN
1121:2015
1096:2015
618:and
600:The
576:and
542:Vimy
540:and
526:Vimy
483:and
461:and
410:and
401:and
389:and
361:here
280:and
227:and
180:and
122:The
86:Role
76:Type
234:BEF
207:at
186:BEF
166:BEF
1282::
1232:).
1194:.
1163:.
1107:.
1087:.
988:^
969:^
859:,
849:^
803:^
791:^
763:^
751:^
719:^
683:^
572:,
568:,
393:.
385:,
381:,
374:.
276:,
272:,
223:,
219:,
215:,
211:,
92:,
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863:(
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