Introduction

The use of mining as a weapon of war has a long history. Used almost exclusively against heavily fortified places, the art of military mining for offensive purposes was rendered obsolete with the advent of more accurate and powerful artillery pieces that could raze isolated fortifications from a distance. Wars fought throughout the18th and 19th centuries had been conducted, for the most part, with large massed armies over open plains with each side seeking to gain a tactical advantage. With this in mind, mining on the Western Front during 1914-1918 was, therefore, made possible for two main reasons. Firstly, the static nature of the front itself and the close 'proximity of the opposing lines'; (1) secondly, the length of time such conditions prevailed. The overarching aim of this study is to look at the extent to which mining, in a more general sense, aided the war effort and to examine whether or not more could have been achieved in the earlier stages. It will also look at what legacies, if any, military mining left for use in future wars. The principal focus will therefore concentrate on three main considerations, outlined in the chapter headings: Efficacy, Effects on morale, Opportunity for breakthrough.


The first chapter will deal with the reason why specialised tunnelling companies were needed, distinct from the regular Royal Engineers. It looks at the problems they encountered while carrying out their work such as geographical/geological problems; equipment and supply; enemy counter-mining; mine rescue and command structure. The second chapter will deal with the effects mining had on morale, not only of the infantry manning the front line trenches who suffered directly from a mine explosion, but also the tunnellers themselves and the psychological strain that this placed on them both and how this in turn affected their performances in their specific fields. The third chapter will examine the opportunities that mining may have had in producing a breakthrough in the enemy lines and will look at three major mining offensives [and mining in the Vimy Ridge sector] by British and Commonwealth miners during the war. It will also look at the possibilities missed, such as the omission of mining for the Loos offensive. Greater time has been given in this chapter to the Messines operation not simply because this was the highlight of the tunnellers war, but because of the nature of the operation itself. This was an all-arms operation in which it was recognised, by those planning the offensive, that mining played a vital and pivotal role. The underground operation was completed in relative secrecy despite the fact that some of the mines had been in position and undetected for over a year. Its success was an object lesson in the efficacy of mining and, arguably, proved the miners' worth.


There are very few dedicated secondary sources on the subject of military mining during The Great War and those that are available were published some time ago. Many general texts make mention of mining operations but none of these go into any great detail despite the fact that for every major operation over ground there was an equal, perhaps disproportionate effort underground to aid the assault.

The initial problem in carrying out such a study appeared to be a lack of secondary and primary source material.  A preliminary search however, proved that this was not in fact the case. Much of the primary source material was gained from the Public Records Office at Kew in London. The Tunnelling Companies themselves kept weekly records of mining activity which included sketches and ideas on overcoming particular mining problems. By cross-referencing these reports with other written works it is possible to gain a more accurate picture of certain events. For example, the Official History states that only five mines were laid beneath Hill 60 for the assault on 17 April 1915. The reports from 171 Company states that six were in fact prepared and fired, an account supported by Capt. Grant Grieve in his work.

There are also the Official Histories, which, despite the conflicting view highlighted above, proved an invaluable source of information and a foundation on which to begin. In particular Military Operations: France and Belgium.Vol. 1. 1915; Vol. 1. 1916 and Vol. 2. 1917. proved extremely useful.


There are a small number of dedicated publications on the subject of tunnelling. Tunnellers, written by Capt. W. Grant Grieve and Bernard Newman, (1936), is more of an unofficial history of tunnelling companies and gives a comprehensive account of mining activities on the Western Front (2)  from its beginnings in late 1914 until the restoration of the war of movement in March 1918. It charts many of the problems encountered by the tunnellers and their progress, culminating in the largest mining offensive of the war - the assault on Messines Ridge. It also details the other duties that the tunnellers performed. Tunnelling companies did not only mine but also undertook tasks such as the building and repairing of dugouts, the repairing of trench systems, roads and bridges and attended to booby traps, particularly during 1918. This account relays these activities in fine detail and Captain Grant Grieve was himself a tunneller during the war.

A later account is that produced by Alexander Barrie entitled The War Underground, (1961). Like Tunnellers this is a comprehensive account of British and Commonwealth mining activities but also one which looks at the activities of German engineers in their effort to undermine British positions. It examines the many problems encountered and the psychological effects that mining had on the infantry and tunnellers on both sides.


There is also a specific company account written by Capt. H. W. Graham: The Life of a Tunnelling Company, (1927), which charts the daily life of 185th Tunnelling Company between 1916 and 1918 and gives a excellent insight into the running of a tunnelling company and its trials and tribulations.

There are in addition some excellent articles in various journals, some by those directly involved and others covering  geological and geographical factors. The greater weight will come from publications mentioned above  in conjunction with primary source material gathered from the Public Records Office with the journal articles and other secondary works acting in support.  


It is important, though perhaps obvious, to mention at this point that mining on the Western Front was not the reserve of British and Commonwealth forces and that their contribution was but one part. The French were actively mining in their sector of the front too and their history remains to be revealed, though there are certain publications that have become available in recent years. A large volume published in 1997 is the diary of Louis Barthas, a French tunneller with the 296th Regiment. This work follows his service and experiences as a tunneller from early 1915 until the end of the war in which he sees service at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Verdun, and the Somme and ends his war in the forests of the Argonne (3). The Germans too mined extensively though they will be covered to some extent within this study.


While mining can be an extremely technical subject to cover, this study will only involve such technicalities that are necessary to convey specific points. The dimensions, length and depth, number of branches made from one gallery, the amount of explosive material and type for each mine would not be possible or necessary for a work of this kind given the limited space available. Where points or explanations would detract from the text these will be included in various appendices that will be clearly marked. Commonwealth tunnelling companies began to see service on the Western Front at the beginning of 1916, the Australians and Canadians commencing and maintaining mines in the Ypres and Messines sectors. These immediately came under the command of British G.H.Q. and for brevity the term British is mostly used to encompass the tunnelling force as a whole.


Of the three main texts mentioned above that deal directly with mining during the First World War, only one is on general sale to the public through main stream bookshops and no new works have been published since 1961. Capt. Graham's work was privately printed and is extremely difficult to obtain. The work of Grant Grieve and Newman is available through Naval and Military Press and may not be known to the general reader. While it is not possible or even practical to include every aspect of mining during this period, those that have been chosen are perhaps fundamental to the understanding of what mining hoped to achieve.