182nd Tunnelling Company
| 182nd Tunnelling Company | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | World War I |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Royal Engineer tunnelling company |
| Role | military engineering, tunnel warfare |
| Nickname(s) | "The Moles" |
| Engagements | World War I Battle of Messines |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Frederick Mulqueen[1] |
The 182nd Tunnelling Company was one of the
Background
By January 1915 it had become evident to the
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
Most tunnelling companies were formed under Norton-Griffiths' leadership during 1915, and one more was added in 1916.[2][6] On 10 September 1915, the British government sent an appeal to Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to raise tunnelling companies in the Dominions of the British Empire. On 17 September, New Zealand became the first Dominion to agree the formation of a tunnelling unit. The New Zealand Tunnelling Company arrived at Plymouth on 3 February 1916 and was deployed to the Western Front in northern France.[7] A Canadian unit was formed from men on the battlefield, plus two other companies trained in Canada and then shipped to France. Three Australian tunnelling companies were formed by March 1916, resulting in 30 tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers being available by the summer of 1916.[2]
Unit history
182nd Tunnelling Company was formed about October 1915, and from December 1915 until the end of the war the company served under Fourth Army.[6][8]
Battle of Messines
After its formation, the 182nd Tunnelling Company was deployed for work in positions near Bailleul in October 1915. The unit then took over the newly-begun Kruisstraat deep mines near Wytschaete.[2] Preparations for digging deep mines at Kruisstraat were begun by 250th Tunnelling Company in December 1915, handed over to 182nd Tunnelling Company at the beginning of January 1916, and to 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company at the end of the month.[9] These activities formed part of the mines that were dug by the British 171st, 175th, 250th, 1st Canadian, 3rd Canadian and 1st Australian Tunnelling companies as part of the prelude to the Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917), while the British 183rd, 2nd Canadian and 2nd Australian Tunnelling companies built deep dugouts (underground shelters) in the Second Army area.[10]
Armentières
182nd Tunnelling Company then moved to Armentières and was relieved there in March 1916 by 1st Canadian Tunnelling Company.[2]
Vimy Ridge
Spring 1916 saw the 182nd Tunnelling Company move to Berthonval and the construction of subways in Zouave Valley[2] on Vimy Ridge. Vimy was an area of busy underground activity for much of the war. British tunnellers had taken over mining in the area progressively from the French between February and May 1916.[11] 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.[12] Between October 1915 and April 1917 an estimated 150 French, British and German charges were fired in this 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) sector of the Western Front.[11] In May 1916, a German infantry attack, 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 Hindenburg Line 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 this was subsequently postponed.[12] After September 1916, when the Royal Engineers had completed their network of defensive galleries along most of the front line, offensive mining largely ceased[11] although activities continued until 1917. The British gallery network beneath Vimy Ridge eventually grew to a length of 12 kilometres (7.5 mi).[11]
In addition to 182nd Tunnelling Company, also
Spring Offensive
At the time of the
See also
- Mine warfare
References
- St Eloi in 1915. In late 1916 he was promoted and went on to command 182nd Tunnelling Company at Vimy. - Jones 2010, p. 133.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Tunnelling Companies RE Archived 2015-05-10 at the Wayback Machine, access date 25 April 2015
- ^ a b c d "Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Norton-Griffiths (1871–1930)". Royal Engineers Museum. Archived from the original on 1 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
- ^ a b Peter Barton/Peter Doyle/Johan Vandewalle, Beneath Flanders Fields - The Tunnellers' War 1914-1918, Staplehurst (Spellmount) (978-1862272378) p. 165.
- ^ "Corps History – Part 14: The Corps and the First World War (1914–18)". Royal Engineers Museum. Archived from the original on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
- ^ a b Watson & Rinaldi, p. 49.
- ^ Anthony Byledbal, "New Zealand Tunnelling Company: Chronology" (online Archived 2015-07-06 at the Wayback Machine), access date 5 July 2015
- ^ Watson & Rinaldi, p. 21.
- ^ Holt & Holt 2014, p. 195.
- ^ Edmonds 1948, p. 37–38.
- ^ a b c d e f g The Durand Group: Vimy Ridge online, access date 2016-08-03
- ^ a b c Jones 2010, p. 133.
- ^ Boire (1992) pp. 22–23
- ^ Boire (1992) p. 20
- ^ Jones 2010, pp. 134–135.
- ^ Jones 2010, p. 136.
- ^ Jones 2010, p. 135.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-89839-166-0.
- Holt, Tonie; Holt, Valmai (2014) [1997]. Major & Mrs Holt's Battlefield Guide to the Ypres Salient & Passchendaele. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-0-85052-551-9.
- Jones, Simon (2010). Underground Warfare 1914–1918. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84415-962-8.
Further reading
- An overview of the history of 182nd Tunnelling Company is also available in Robert K. Johns, Battle Beneath the Trenches: The Cornish Miners of 251 Tunnelling Company RE, Pen & Sword Military 2015 (ISBN 978-1473827004), p. 222 see online
- Alexander Barrie (1988). War Underground – The Tunnellers of the Great War. ISBN 1-871085-00-4.
- The Work of the Royal Engineers in the European War 1914 -1919, – MILITARY MINING.
- Jones, Simon (2010). Underground Warfare 1914-1918. Pen & Sword Military. ISBN 978-1-84415-962-8.
- Arthur Stockwin (ed.), Thirty-odd Feet Below Belgium: An Affair of Letters in the Great War 1915-1916, Parapress (2005), ISBN 978-1-89859-480-2 (online).
- Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018, Tiger Lily Books, 2018, ISBN 978-171790180-4.