170th Tunnellers COY RE

[asdarley]

I have a relative who was KIA 27/01/1916 who served with the 179th Tunn Coy RE Any ideas as to what he might have been involved with?

[Ken Wayman]

Hi

Your thread title says 170th Coy but you quote 179th Coy in your message.

Which one is it please, then I'll look up a few details.

Regards

Ken

[Simon Jones]

I think you mean 170th Coy as 179th didn't lose any men that day, whereas 170 lost Sappers Reilly, Cooke & Turgoose. 170th were in the Hohenzollern sector.

(Sorry to anticipate you Ken).

Regards

Simon

[Ken Wayman]

I think you mean 170th Coy as 179th didn't lose any men that day, whereas 170 lost Sappers Reilly, Cooke & Turgoose. 170th were in the Hohenzollern sector.

(Sorry to anticipate you Ken).

Regards

Simon

No problem, Simon!

Cheers

Ken

[asdarley]

Hi

oops!

Thanks for that. The chap I am interested is William Turgoose and the record I have for him clearly states 170th

All I can say is the 0 is next to the 9!! Sorry!

The Hohenzollern sector. Forgive my ignorance wasn't there a redoubt by that name?

Any ideas as to how they died?

Thanks

Stan

[Ken Wayman]

[The Hohenzollern sector. Forgive my ignorance wasn't there a redoubt by that name?

Any ideas as to how they died?]

Here goes Stan - forgive me if I state the obvious at any time!

The Hohenzollern Redoubt was a German strongpoint in the north of the Loos battlefield (25th Sept to 14th October 1915), one that 46th '1st North Midland' Division was tasked to capture on 13th October 1915.

By the end of the battle, at a a cost of 4,000 casualties, only the outer edge of the Redoubt had been captured. Any further progress was deemed to require mining.

As the most experienced company, 170th was ordered to the sector. The 170th had spent several months three miles to the north, at Givenchy, where they had distinguished themselves but at a high cost in men. The 170th was commanded by an excellent leader, Captain Frank Preedy, a regular RE officer. Initially, tunnels were narrow, three feet by two, but later Preedy 'forgot' regulaions and ordered tunnels to be dug five feet by four - to the grateful thanks of his men!

In late October orders were given for "a big offensive work to be started." Unfortunately, the Germans were mining in the same area and there commenced a long, deadly game of cat and mouse as first one side then the other blew chambers and tunnels.

170th dug what were dubbed 'speed mines', over fifty in three months, and slowly they pushed back their adversaries. By the end of January 1916 they also had nearly completed three deep tunnels that were later to be loaded with between 7,000 and 10,000 lbs of ammonal. [The date set was 2nd March 1916.

I can but speculate that your man was killed in one of the minor blasts that were so common during the rivalry between the two sets of diggers.

There is a decent map [Plate III] of the Hohenzollern mining system in 'Military Mining, 1914-1919' (produced by the Institute of Royal Engineers available from Naval & Military Press).

Hope this helps.

Ken

[asdarley]

Ken

Many thanks for a fulsome reply! As ever the forum comes up with the info! Grateful thanks to all who contributed to this string

Stan

[Tom Grieves]

Hello All,

My coal miner Grandfather Sapper William John Grieves / Greives 102472 served in the 170th Tunnelling Company. From William’s War Service Records, I have discovered that he joined the Royal Engineers on 8 Jun 1915 in London, and four days later on the 12 Jun 1915 he was already serving in France. William John served until 29 Dec 1917 when he was discharged as “No longer physically fit for War Service”. On 1st July 1916 my father Christopher Grieves 24/1509 who served in the 24th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers (1st Tyneside Irish) was wounded in Mash Valley. Despite being infantry, I wonder if my Dad, who,was also a coal miner had any involvement in digging the tunnels that resulted in the Lochnagar Crater. Dad later served in the KOYLI and by wars end he was serving in a RE Special Brigade Gas Company. Both men survived the war.

In July 2006 I visited La Boisselle and other battlefield sites, but at that time, I was unaware that my Grandfather William John had served in WW1. In July 2015, I plan to travel from Australia and visit the UK and the French and Belgian battlefields again. I would greatly appreciate any help from Forum mates to identify places where the 170th Tunnelling Company served, so I can visit and pay my respects to my Grandfather and his tunnelling mates in 2015.

Thanks,

Tom Grieves