Tunneling Companies

[mancpal]

I wonder if anybody can recommend any articles or books that would further my knowledge of the above. I don't need anything in huge detail but rather a general overview of their part in the war (qualification, training, life expectancy etc).

Many thanks

Simon

[paulgranger]

'War Underground' by Alexander Barrie is dated, but very readable. 'Beneath Flanders Fields' by Peter Barton is a more recent treatment, as is Simon Jones 'Underground Warfare'.

[Black Maria]

If you want to read a memoir 'Fighting the Boche underground' by H.D Trounce is interesting and gives a good overall impression of the tasks of R.E Tunnelling officer.

There is also ' Tunnellers' by Grieve and Newman which was first published in 1936 and is the history of the Tunnelling companies.

[mancpal]

Thanks for your prompt responses. I've put your recommendations on my list in the hope my wife can track down copies via inter library loans.

Thanks again,

Simon

[Loader]

H.D. TROUNCE was British living in the US when he returned to UK & joined the RE. He had been trained as mining engineer. He served in I think it was 181 Tunneling Co. in 1916 as an officer. He later went back to US & joined the US Army as officer& was I think an instructor to Engineer units going overseas. He lieved in Calif I think the rest of his life. He recd; the BWM & VIcty Medals.

His book has an interesting appendix in it of the unit war diary or some sort of report for a period on the front in France. A good book in my opinion worth the read but may be hard to find. Good luck.

[mancpal]

Thanks Loader.

My interest stems from a SWB I've had for a number of years. I recently got round to looking up the recipient and found him to be a tunneller. I know relatively little about their work but as I'm going on holiday this summer I thought it an ideal time to learn a little more. My wife is a librarian so with a bit of luck she'll be able to track down at least one of the above to take with me. This also coincides with a little project I'm working on regarding coal miners. Of the thirty odd miners I've so far identified none had joined tunnelling companies which initially I thought odd but then when one considers just how many colliers we had in those days I imagine they couldn't all be digging under the western front. Added to that our constant desire for fuel to power the war effort then my findings don't seem to surprising.

Thanks again,

Simon

[paulgranger]

Coal miners were exempted from call-up when conscription was introduced in 1916, but many had volunteered before that.

[Black Maria]

'Fighting the Boche underground' has been reprinted in paperback and copies are around £4 + p&p on Amazon, I also see it's on something called Kindle for

82p if anyone wants to raid the piggy bank.

[paulgranger]

Thank you for the pointer, Kindle version swiftly downloaded.

[mancpal]

Paul,

From the Colliery roll of honour I'm looking into there were about 600 who volunteered. Some of those were transfered back to the pit during the war though so far not as many as I imagined.

I'm impressed with the Kindle download, 82p is much nearer my usual budget maximum than £4!

Many thanks to both of you

Simon

[Black Maria]

I've just noticed that Pen & Sword have recently published ' Battle beneath the trenches- the Cornish miners of 251 Tunnelling Company R.E '. I don't know

how good it is but it does have some positive reviews on Amazon.

[paulgranger]

Due later this year from Helion,

See this image

Miners at War 1914-1919 - South Wales Miners in the Tunneling Companies on the Western Front (Wolverhampton Military Studies

The author s compilation of a unique Register identifying those individual South Wales miners who served in the Tunnelling Companies has allowed a remarkable story to be told. For the first time, the lives of individual South Wales miners are highlighted from pre-war mining days, their very personal contribution within the Tunnelling Companies, to the resting places of those who did not survive the war and, for the survivors, their ultimate despatch home.

The underlying theme is of an indefatigable band of men, together with like-minded miners from other British Coalfields, asked to carry out multi-tasked duties associated with a form of military mining not foreseen prior to the outbreak of war. Before a major battle, these men constructed large underground dugouts to house troops away from enemy shell fire. In exploding huge mines under German lines immediately before the British attack they aided the advancing infantry in causing death and confusion in the German lines. During the British advance in 1918 they became experts in the dangerous work of defusing enemy booby traps, delay action and land mines in front of the advancing troops. They showed all the resolution, fortitude, determination, if not sheer bloody-mindedness, to see the job through, so reminiscent of the miner at home struggling to earn a decent rate of pay in the most arduous of conditions. There was a price to pay.

Details are given of the two hundred and seven miners who died whilst on active service and of how many others were repatriated after gunshot wounds, gas poisoning or ill-health. Accounts are given of miners entombed underground as a result of enemy explosions, medals awarded for acts of bravery when attempting to free trapped miners and of those taken prisoners-of-war when the enemy broke into British workings. Old men and young boys lied about their ages to gain acceptance into the Tunnelling Companies and suffered the harsh consequences.

A unique investigation such as this not only acknowledges the miners personal contribution as tunnellers but also serves as a scholarly and novel addition to the existing literature concerning the history of the Great War, its Tunnelling Companies, South Wales, its coalfield and the lives of its miners. There can be little doubt that this work will in years to come establish itself as a standard text in the history of military mining not only in a specific sense but also as a work on the Great War in general.

I can't add any more than that!

[mancpal]

Thanks Paul, from the above write up it sounds like a great read and has just been added to my birthday list.

Regards

Simon