171st Tunnelling Company. R.E.

[anthony P]

Thanks Scalyback

I will pass this information on to the school boys.

Thanks again

Tony

[GraemeClarke]

Morning Glen (Greg)

At home now so off Kindle !!

Many thanks for helping out with the War Diary. Appreciate it.

(The man I'm researching was a 42 year old man who lasted 2 weeks at the front)

Regards,

Graeme

[Drew-1918]

Hello Tony,

I don't know if you have already heard of it, but I think the book, 'One Mole Rampant' by W. Gardner, covers the activities of an Officer of the 171st, or the 172nd, Tunnelling Companies. The book starts off with him as a private in the H.A.C. in 1914, but he later transfers to the RE. It is a little before the time of the soldier you are researching, but I just thought that perhaps you would like something to give the school children a little bit more of an idea what life may have been like for this local soldier and what sort of things he may have done. Apologies if you already know about this.

https://archive.org/details/onemolerampant00gard

Regards,

Chris

[anthony P]

Hi Chris

Thanks very much for the information on the book. It will give the school children a real insight to what was going on in the

Great War under ground as well as going "over the top".

Information like this will really show how the various services contributed to the efforts of the allied Armies to defeat the

German advances.

Not just remembering Sapper Thomas Ellis, but having a snapshot of his army life and his contribution.

On their behalf, again many thanks.

Tony

[itzashl3y]

Hi Everybody.

Thanks for your help on finding out on Thomas Ellis' death for me.

I'm very thankful!

Thanks a lot once again

Ashley and Megan:)

[anthony P]

Hi Ashley/Megan

Thank you and all your efforts to remember Thomas Ellis, a local hero.

Well done both of you. Your school should be proud.

Good luck for the future

All the best

Tony.

[Drew-1918]

Well done Ashley and Megan, and all the other school children, for all their efforts in trying to find out about Thomas Ellis. I imagine he would have been very moved to think that youngsters 100 years later were taking an interest and trying to learn about what happened to him. I think its absolutely wonderful. Well done also to Tony for all his efforts in trying to encourage and help you.

Chris

[trevb]

Yes, it's great to see the memories of these brave men being kept alive by new generations with the help of inspirational teachers - those who took part in the underground war deserve to be remembered with the rest of their colleagues. It was heartening while in the Ypres area to see many parties of British schoolchildren not only taking part in the Menin Gate Last Post ceremony but also laying wreaths and crosses at cemeteries large and small including the German site at Langemarck.

[itzashl3y]

Hello,

Thank You all for helping out!

I'm currently on holidays now but when I go back to school in September and will definitely update my PowerPoint Presentation about Thomas Ellis with all the information you have gathered to help me continue with my research on Thomas Ellis.

In December last December I was luckily enough to visit Belgium, Yrpes with the History department with my school and according to what I found out about Thomas Ellis he is buried in Yrpes. In one of the locations we visit. If I knew about the memorial the local community have found in the skip we would have been able to visit Thomas Ellis' grave but sadly we didn't know about this memorial until May/June time.

If you don't mind but there's a few other soldiers my friends are researching about too from the local area to help find who the memorial belongs too but I currently do not have their names so maybe in September if you guys don't mind to help us again please?

Thank You for all your help and information you have found about Thomas Ellis' for us! It's wonderful that you guys were willing to help us school children!

[Dpellis71]

Hi

Thomas was my great uncle I have done reasearch on him and the death certificate I ordered for him say the was KIA near ploegsteert Belgium

Does this tie in with imformation you guys have on 171st

The family story on Thomas's death is we was blown up I don't know if he was in the tunnels at the time or in the trenches is there any way I could find this out for sure

Regards

Paul

[itzashl3y]

Trevb.

Our school visited Ypres last year in December. We also visited the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony and also contributed to that laying wreaths. It was very emotional seeing all the soldiers names on the walls. During the time in Belgium I spent last year with the school (which at the time we all Year 9 Pupils, now we are in Year 10) we visited a lot of cemeteries. It was a lovely 2 day trip and I trip I will never forget.