TUNNELLING CORPS

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume XXXI, Issue 8829, 7 October 1942, Page 2

TUNNELLING CORPS

SERVICE IN THE LAST WAR OUTSTANDING' UNIT TRIBUTES BY COMMANDERS Something of the achievements of the New Zealand Tunnelling Corps during its service in France, and of the esteem in which the unit was held by high Army commanders, is told by “Sapper” in the concluding part of his article, which is published below. As was stated in our last issue, it was just 27 years ago yesterday that the Waihi and district members of the corps entrained to take part in the great adventure. “Sapper” writes:— On arrival in England we proceeded to 'Falmouth, in Cornwall, to undergo a five weeks’ course of training under staff-sergeants from the Royal Fusaliers—men of the Regular Army—who had their work cut out to complete our training in so short a time. Nevertheless, they -accomplished it; and we were ready and equipped to sail for France on the S.S. Inventor. We arrived at Le Havre on March 9, 1916, and 30 men, under Lieutenant J. C. -Neil, proceeded to Rouen to undergo extensive engineering training. The remaind-er-proceeded to Arras to take up their position in the front line and commenced mining work in" connection with the vast operations undertaken by the Tunnelling Company in the following 12 months. The subterranean caves and galleries which they opened up were an abiding mark to the names of Nelson, Blenheim and New (Plymouth; and, of course, there was a Waihi.

These huge underground operations undertaken by the Tunnellers gave substantial assistance to the Fourth and Fifth Armies when they were ready to strike at the Hindenburg Line on April ,9, 1917 .(Easter Monday). The Tunnellers participated in this attack also by way of demolitions, destruction of machinegun nests," etc., headed by Captain G. G. Collynes and an n.c0.0 from Waihi. That n.c.o. was acting-Ser-geant J. R. Norris, who was awarded the D.C.M., the non-commissioned man’s equivalent of his officer’s D.S.O.

The following “pat on the back” the O.C. got just before the Battle of Arras indicates the appreciation with which their services were regarded:—

“T wish to bring to the Army Commander’s notice the excellent work done by the New Zealand Tunnelling Company during the past 12 months, first under Major J. E. Duigan and now under Major H. Vickermann. The work of the company has been excellent. Not only ha"ve the men worked extremely hard and well, but the excellent relations that have been maintained with the various divisions show a first-class organisation. I attach a report I have received from the G.O.C. 3rd Division, which expresses clearly the opinion held by the Divisions in the line of the N.ZE. Tunnelling Coy.— (Signed) A. Haldane, LieutenantGeneral Commanding VI Corps.” This report read: “To VI Corps.—l wish to bring to the notice of the Corps Commander the excellent work and willing help of the N.Z.E.T. Coy. in all their undertakings with the 3rd Division. All work has 'been punctually and thoroughly carried out to my entire satisfaction, without a hitch or difficulty of any kind.— (Signed) C. J. Deverell, Major-Gene-ral Commanding 3rd Division.” An Amazing Feat

In August, 1917, the company was moved from Arras to Marieux, in the IV Corps area, to work on the G.H.Q. line they had carried on in tbe advance, repairing roads, bi-idges, mains, water reservoirs and a hundred and one other jobs. On September 28 they were called upon to erect across the canal Du Nord the biggest bridge of steel erected by the Army. With a sheer drop of 90 feet below, the bridge was capable of carrying the heaviest of traffic and was completed 'by October 2. This was at Havrincourt and the work - was under constant German shell-fire. Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, General Byng, Mr Samuel Gompers (U.S.A.) and others visited this amazing feat, and the Field Marshal ordered Captain 'Holmes, actingO.C. of the corps to give the following message to his men: .“I wish to convey to one and all of the New Zealand Tunnellers my appreciation of the excellent work done by the company during the erection of the Havrincourt bridge, and also of their splendid record since they came to France. In the Battle for Le Quesnoy and to the east of it the Tunnellers were detailed to investigate mines in the path of the infantry and render them harmless, some of which contained tons of explosives. During the same action under heavy fire they prepared crossings, for the artillery over the Valenciennes-Aul-noye railway and repaired bridges for same.”

After having been called upon to fulfil numerous operations all along the front, the approach of winter, 1918, found the Tunnellers in the vicinity of Mons, attached to the XII Corps, and engaged with their usual conspicuous success in bridgebuilding in Solermes, Pont-au-Sambre and elsewhere. It was here they found what they had all been looking for—the Armistice. In conclusion, I may throw a little light on the old question of which unit of New Zealand troops was the first to land in France. The lot fell to the Tunnelling Company as they landed on March 9, 1916, at Le Havre, while the first unit from the New Zealand Division landed on April 11, 1916, in the American liner Minniewhaska at Marseilles; and from then on the rest of the Division was evacuated from Egypt to France, where they also left their abiding marks on the various .battlefields.