3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company

3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company
Active	World War I
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Expeditionary Force
Type	Royal Engineer tunnelling company
Role	Military engineering Tunnel warfare
Nickname(s)	"The Beavers"
Engagements	World War I Hill 60 Battle of Messines

Military unit

The 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company was one of the

mines under enemy lines, as well as other underground work such as the construction of deep dugouts 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.^[1]

Background

Main article: Tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers

By January 1915 it had become evident to the

John Norton-Griffiths, the War Office formally approved the tunnelling company scheme on 19 February 1915.^[2]

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

Territorial unit.^[4] 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.^[3] Most British tunnelling companies were formed under Norton-Griffiths' leadership during 1915, and one more was added in 1916.^[1]

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.^[5] The Canadian Military Engineers contributed three tunnelling companies to the British Expeditionary Force. One unit was formed from men on the battlefield, plus two other companies trained in Canada and then shipped to France.^[1] 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.^[1]

Unit history

3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company was established at St Marie Cappel in January 1916 when the original Canadian mining sections operating as part of 1st and 2nd Canadian Division were withdrawn from their positions south of Ypres, and were reformed into this new company.^[1]

Messines 1916/17

mines laid before the Battle of Messines, 1917

As part of the preparations for the Battle of Messines, the 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company began work at Spanbroekmolen and other places facing the Messines ridge.^[1] 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.^[6]

In January 1916, 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company took over work on the Spanbroekmolen mine from the 250th Tunnelling Company which had already dug a 18 metres (60 ft) shaft there, and handed Spanbroekmolen over to the 171st Tunnelling Company^[7] in April 1916.^[1] By the end of January 1916, 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company also took over digging deep mines at Kruisstraat from 182nd Tunnelling Company. In April 1916, work at Kruisstraat was passed on to 175th Tunnelling Company.^[8]

3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company worked at

3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company meanwhile took over the tunnelling operations at the southern end of the Messines ridge, continuing work already begun on the forked tunnels at Trench 127, Trench 122 (Ultimo and Factory Farm) and Birdcage close to Ploegsteert Wood.^[11] Although it was eventually decided not to detonate the mines at the Birdcage position, the 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company successfully ignited their other mines at the appointed time.^[11] When the mines at Messines were detonated on 7 June 1917, they created 19 large craters.^{[citation needed]}

Spring Offensive

After the

After the Armistice, the 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company repaired the town waterworks at Roubaix.[1]

See also

• Mine warfare

Notes

An overview of the history of 3rd Canadian 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 (

References

• ISBN 0-89839-166-0
  .
• ISBN 0-702-21710-7
  . Retrieved 21 May 2015.
• 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
  .

• Barrie, Alexander (1988). War Underground – The Tunnellers of the Great War. London: Tom Donovan Pub.
  ISBN 1-871085-00-4
  .
• Jones, Simon (2010). Underground Warfare 1914–1918. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military.
  ISBN 978-1-84415-962-8
  .
• Royal Engineers' Institute (1922). The Work of the Royal Engineers in the European War 1914–1919: Military Mining. Chatham, England: Secretary, Institution of Royal Engineers.
  OCLC 317624346
  .
• Stockwin, Arthur, ed. (2005). Thirty-odd Feet Below Belgium: An Affair of Letters in the Great War 1915–1916. Tunbridge Wells: Parapress.
  ISBN 978-1-89859-480-2
  .

• Guide to sources relating to units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force: Tunnelling Companies and Canadian Engineers