La Boisselle April 1916

Chronology of Tunnelling in the La Boisselle Sector in 1916 (Work in progress)

Date/ Source	Mining	Infantry
2/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	… 10am OC visited workings. [11.30pm Spr Smalls sl wound shrapnel in relief]
3/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	… 10am [2/Lt R H S Fox 8/Norfolks (Bde mining officer attached) admitted to hosp.]
4/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	[Spr Stevens broke ankle falling down S6 shaft]
5/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	…Front in which mining operations are situated taken over from 32^nd Divn by 8^th Divn.
6/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	… 11.30am 3^rd Corps and BGGS 3^rd Corps here with reference to new work in contemplation.
7/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	… 470 or 8^th Division arrived to be attached as fatigue parties and to provide extra brigade miners to start some fresh work.
8/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	… 1pm CE 3/Corps interviewed CO and looked over places etc to gain information as to the work we were doing. He asked for a weekly narrative account of the mining.
9/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	… 10.30am [Spr Lindill injured himself severely tampering with German rifle grenade found in trenches]
10/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	… 6.40am Enemy camouflet damaging No 2L & part of No3R Inch Street workings & killing Capt W B Creswick ¼ KOYLI, No 102758 Spr Devine S & 14583 Pte Cross WH 10/Essex & wounding 86226 Spr Carter T. 10am enemy blew second camouflet damaging No 2 straight Inch Street but causing no further casualties. [see Mining Note 62] [11am 2 Ptes injured playing with rifle grenade] New work at Aveluy commenced. [Rfn Higgins wounded by grenade during relief]
10/4/16 Mining Note 62 [part transcribed only]	Report on the execution of the Raid on the Spion. … On the 9^th April, the Commander of the 1^st Reserve Company, 13^th Pioneer Battalion, decided that, apart from the mine included in the project of the raid, it would very shortly be necessary to fire another mine, seeing that the enemy was working only a few yards from the head of the gallery. It was arranged to combine the latter with the feint bombardment to be carried out on the morning of the 10^th April. As, however, the enemy always shewed most activity in his galleries between 5 and 7 a.m., the mine was to be fired during these two hours under all circumstances, with a view to causing him the greatest number of casualties. … The mine was fired at 6.43 a.m., after the presence of the enemy’s miners had been definitely ascertained by means of the microphone. The effect of the mine was extraordinarily powerful below ground. A new crater, however, was not formed, for the mine chamber was 105 feet below surface. [times altered to English] Extract from Reports of Mines by O.C. 179^th Company R.E. At 6.40 a.m. April 10^th the enemy blew a large camouflet at LA BOISSELLE, destroying 70 feet of gallery and causing 3 casualties.
James Young	When we met Jerry at this level we had our ups and downs, mostly ups though. One bad knock we had was when we broke into German galleries and Captain Creswick, my section Commander, went down to explore. He had a Sergeant and one or two men with him, and they were blown in. I was next in command and went down to do the usual visit with canaries and had just got out of No 2 when Jerry blew again. He was above and not too far away to do much harm; a few pieces of chalk came down from the roof. This was in April 1916. For a few months we just held this line and pushed on with the deeper workings, keeping the faces back to be clear of damage if we or the Jerries blew, and to be ready to drive forward if the workings were wrecked too badly.
	WILFRED BERTRAM CRESWICK Captain, 4^th Bn., King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry attd. 179^th Field Coy, Royal Engineers who died on Monday, 10^th April 1916. THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Pier and Face 11 C and 12 A STEPHEN DEVINE Sapper 102758 179^th Tunnelling Coy., Royal Engineers who died on Monday, 10^th April 1916. THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Pier and Face 8 A and 8 D
	SS462 German Raid on the British Trenches near La Boisselle, 11^th April, 1916. Issued by General Staff, General Headquarters August, 1916. 110^th Reserve Regiment In the field, 6^th April, 1916 Regimental Orders for a raid on the Spion … 6. In order that the registration of the objective by the heavy artillery and Minenwerfer shall not be apparent, on the morning of the day before the raid – probably the 10^th April – a feint bombardment of Target-sectors 76-79 will be carried out, combined with a mine explosion, with the object of misleading the enemy. The exact time will be fixed beforehand by the artillery commander, Officer Commanding Ersatz Abteilung, 76^th Field Artillery Regiment. … 7. The Officer Commanding 1^st Reserve Company, 13^th Pioneer Battalion, will arrange for a gallery of the left-hand minefield to be ready charged by the morning of the day before the raid, and for the gallery of the right-hand minefield to be ready charged by the evening of the raid. The former will be sprung at the conclusion of the feint bombardment, the latter as an introduction to the feint attack. … Special Orders for the raid on the Spion … On the right flank of the minefield a shallow gallery will be fired. … [1^st Res Coy, 13^th Pnr Bn has Albrecht mortar] … Report on the feint on the evening of 11^th April, 1916 … At 8.14½ p.m. the mine “A” was fired at the right extremity of the minefield. A column of flame shot up to an extraordinary height and stones of appreciable size were scattered to a distance of 330 yards. The crater formed is quite shallow but has a diameter of 50 feet.
11/4/16 War Diary 179 Coy	[no ref to mines or raid] [See Mining Note 62 – OC 179 Coy says probably lost in bombardment] 4pm Major Hance proceeded on leave to Marseilles. Lt Buswell proceeded to Paris to collect fittings etc for compressor plant. 5pm Orders received from 70/ Inf Bde stating action to be taken in case of enemy attack. 5.30pm No. [sic] L/Cpl Davies H 2/Scottish Rifles wounded by rifle fire whilst entering trenches.
12/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	11am OC & Adjt visited Albert defences with reference to defence scheme.
13/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	6pm ii/Lts P J Bates and J L Reid returned from leave.
14/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	4pm ii/Lt J C Allan proceeded to Base for duty with a new tunnelling company. 5pm ii/Lt G Buswell returned from Paris. OC & Adjt saw GOC 25/ Bde with regard to mining & disposition of men in trenches in case of attack. [OC & Adjt saw GOC] 70/Bde with regard to dispositions of men in billets in Albert defences in case of enemy attack.
15/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	11.15pm No 7586 Pte Green 1/DCLI wounded by shrapnel.

17/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	6.30pm OC attended conference of GOC 8/Division.
18/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	OC visited trenches & listened in Inch St workings.
19/4/16	[Plan of Lochnagar Drive shows date 19/4/16 at point where tunnel branches. Kerriemuir St sap shown short distance into no mans land on 19/4/16.]
20/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	7am No 4757 Pte Hallas G 9/Yorks & Lancs wounded by rifle grenade (died shortly afterwards). 11am CE 3/Corps & CRE 34 Div here & visited area of operations with OC. 12.2am No 7557 Pte Casey W 1/RIR wounded by rifle bullet.
21/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	6362 Pte Weeks C 2/Devons wounded. 19067 or Holden J H 9/Y&L wounded ii/Lt E W McKay-White to hospital sick with German measles.
24/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	10am Arrivals 2/Lt L S Greening } 2/Lt W P O Thomas 9/Y&L } for duty with attached infantry of 8 Div Lt E M Cambie 8/KOYLI } 2/Lt J Gibson proceeded on short leave to England.
25/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	10am 2/Lt H S Davies 2/Lincs arrived for duty with infantry attached. 8 Div 1483 Cpl Stolper W wounded in shoulder by rifle bullet.
26/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	4pm 2/Lt R H S Fox rejoined from hospital.
27/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	12am 2/Lt A M Morgan RE arrived from 183 Coy for temporary duty.
28/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	10pm Camouflet of 5000 lbs Ammonal successfully fired. Enemy made no artillery retaliation. charge placed in S6 chamber. LLR & enemy working estimated at about 20 feet. System of tamping 40 ft solid followed by an air-space of 6 feet. Then 15 ft solid followed by 5 ft air-space. Then alternate 6 ft solid tamping and 6 ft air-space for a total distance of 88 feet.
29/4/16 179 Coy War Diary	London Gazette of 28.4.16 Corps of RE Temp. Sec. Lts to be Temp. Lts. R Hawtrey J Young E W McKay-White dated 15.3.16. [WD end month sgd G Rowan Capt OC…]

Regimental Orders for a raid on the Spion