Canadian Tunnellers

[Brian M]

I've run across a number of men from the Cariboo region of Central British Columbia who enlisted in the No. 4 Tunnelling Co. Numbers 1 through 3 are well documented but I but am unable to find any references, either in Alexander Barrie's "War Underground", War Diaries of the First Worl War or Nicholson's Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War to this unit. Does any one know whether this battalion was merely a recruiting unit or did it serve as a replacement pool for the active units overseas?

Brian

[Broznitsky]

Love states:

"A No. 4 Tunneling Company, Canadian Engineers, was raised but quickly redesignated as the 'Canadian Engineering Training Depot' to provide reinforcements for the other tunneling companies."

Military District 11, Mobilization Nanaimo, Serial numbers 506701-507200.

[Brian M]

Ah - ha, so that explains it, thanks. As you will know, the region is reknowned for the Cariboo Gold Rush of the late 1860s. Although the initial rush was over by the 1880s, there is still some gold to be found ïn "them thar hills" even to this day. It is interesting to note that of approximately a dozen men from that district who volunteered as tunnellers, 10 of them were over forty years of age and fully one half of them were married.

As a source for future reference, who is "Love" and where can I find him?

Brian

[Broznitsky]

David Love's "A Call To Arms" is an excellent organizational reference work and essential for any in-depth study of the CEF. It is available from the publisher, www.bunkertobunker.com in Calgary.

Don't pay an over-inflated price for it on eBay; it is still in print!

If you don't need reading glasses now, you will after getting his book. He specializes in 4, 5, and 6 point fonts!!

[Brian M]

Found it at Bunker To Bunker Books . Perfect, thanks for your help. I'll add it to my bibliography.

Brian