The following are re-creations of documents that deal with the formation of the Mining Corps. No doubt there are more for us to research at a later date. While the Unit formed was Battalion in size (approx 1000 men), it was identified as a ‘Corps’ to indicate its’ chain-of-command as an Army Troop. Basically this means that tasking of the Tunnelling Companies came directly from the Army General.
From the British Military Organisations 1916 – 1918 we find:
UnitSize (full strength)Commanded by
Army150,000+ menGeneral
Corps75,000+ menLieutenant General
Division18,000+ menMajor General
Brigade4,000 menBrigadier General
Battalion1000 menLieutenant Colonel
Company250 menMajor or Captain
Platoon60 menLieutenant
Section15 menSergeant
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D.C.R. 50/8/432
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
A.I.F. 143 / 2 / 8
Department of Defence
Head-Quarters
Melbourne, 14th October, 1915
Circular No. 495.
Commandant
1st Military District
FORMATION OF A MINING CORPS – A. I. F.
It has been decidedto form a Mining Corps in Australia for active service abroad.
The Corps will consist of Headquarters and three Companies.
The establishment of the Headquarters has been tentatively fixed at 7 officers and 23 others.
The establishment of each company will be similar to that laid down for a tunnelling company, R.A.E. The attached Table shews the organisation of the Corps.
The Corps will be raised under supervision of the Chief of Ordnance and allotted to Districts as follows: -
1st M.D.2 Sections.
2nd M.D.1 Company (less 2 sections)
3rd M.D.Corps Hqrs and 2 sections.
4th M.D.1 Company (less 2 sections)
5th M.D.1 Company (less 1 section)
6th M.D.1 section
The conditions of enlistment and pay will be as laid down for the A.I.F. excepting that the limits of age for enlistment will be 18 to 50 years.
The qualifications for officers and other ranks are:-
A.For officers: Mining Engineers, Mining Surveyors with underground experience and young Mining Engineers with underground experience.
B.For Non-commissioned officers and sappers: Men experienced in underground work as Foremen, Shift Bosses, Facemen, Tunnellers, Tunnellers mate, Carpenters and Blacksmiths.
It is probable that there are serving in the A.I.F. a numbers of persons whose civil qualifications would fit them for service with such and who would wish to join it.
Please arrange to promulgate this information amongst members of the Australian Imperial Force and arrange for the calling of applications to join the Mining Corps.
In special cases where Commandants consider that applicants who are shortly to embark should be retained for the Mining Corps arrangements may be made to alter their present allotment and delay their departure from Australia accordingly.
The Corps with first Reinforcements will concentrate at Melbourne as soon as each quota is complete and fitted out with Great Coats and Hats. Commandants to inform Commandant, 3rd Military District, date of departure for Melbourne.
(sgd) E.H. Reynolds, Major
for
Chief of the General Staff.
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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
A.I.F. 143 / 2 / 8
Department of Defence
Head-Quarters
Melbourne, 15th February 1916
Circular No. 145.
Commandant
5th Military District.
Approval has been given for the organization and despatch of three further tunnelling Companies, each consisting of Headquarters and 4 Sections, as per attached tables of War Establishments.
Companies will be raised in Districts as under:
1st Military DistrictOfficersOther Ranks
No. 4 Coy (2 Sections)6152
2nd Military District
No. 4 Coy (H.Q. and 2 sections)8173
3rd Military District
No.5 Coy (H.Q. and 2 sections)8173
4th Military District
No. 5 Coy (1 section)376
5th Military District
No. 6 Coy (H.Q. and 4 sections)14325
6th Military District
No. 5 Coy (1 section)376
Companies will concentrate at the following places, as soon as quota is fitted with great coats and hats: -
No. 4 CoySydney
No. 5 CoyMelbourne
No. 6 CoyPerth
Commandants concerned to inform Commandant, 2nd or 3rd Military District, as the case may be, as to date of departure for place of concentration.
Arrangements will at once be made by you to raise the necessary personnel (with first reinforcements) in your Command, preference being given to those who have mining experience.
Table No. 14, showing allotment and distribution of Companies will be forwarded to you at an early date.
(Sgd) H. Foster, Col.
Chief of the General Staff
____________
Second Australian Division
Divisional Headquarters
12th May 1916
C.R.E.
5th Aust. Inf. Bde.
6th -do-
7th -do-
The following is précis of 1st ANZAC No. Ga 122/14 dated 8/5/16.
(i)At General Headquarters there is an inspector of Mining and at each Army Headquarters there is a controller and Assistant Controller of Mines. The Controller of Mines on Second Army Headquarters is Lieut.-Colonel Stevenson, R.E. who is responsible for:-
(a)The preparation and organisation of all mining work under instructions from General Staff.
(b)Co-operation and preparation of mining schemes connected with operations initiated by General Headquarters.
(c)All administrative questions connected with personnel of Tunnelling Companies
(d)Questions regarding equipment or special stores for Tunnelling Companies
(ii)All Mining Policy is decided at Army Headquarters.
(iii)The 172nd Tunnelling Co. has been allotted to ANZAC. Infantry Companies will be attached when required.
(iv)All mining operations must be kept as secret as possible. No one below the Divisional Commander, his General Staff and C.R.E. other than the Tunnelling Officer concerned should be acquainted with the scheme.
(v)Routine Tunnelling officers are to keep in touch with G.Os C. Brigades when working on their respective fronts, particularly as regards defensive mining and suspected enemy activity.
(vi)Records must be kept of anything indicating enemy Mining activity such as the presence of blue sandbags, reports of suspicious noises underground, etc. This record to be shown to incoming G.Os C. of Divisions and Brigades.
(vii)Special Reports Officers Commanding Tunnelling Coys. are responsible for reporting any signs of enemy preparations for blowing mine crater, by priority wire. The same applies to intention on our part to blow mine crater.
(viii)Up to the present, the greatest depth of which we have any knowledge of enemy mining is 35-40 feet; though at Hill 60 possibly a depth of 70 feet has been reached.
(ix)As far as we know, the enemy has not on the ANZAC front a defensive system of mining which might be deepened and extended against ours.
(x)No reference to mining will ever be made in telephone messages in front of Brigade Headquarters.
(xi)Barbed wire entanglements protecting fronts on which we are mining must be kept in first rate order.
(xii)Machine guns and Trench mortars will not be sited near mine shafts.
The above is for your information and compliance.
(signed)
Major
General Staff
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Second Army
G,200
(1st ANZAC 122/29)
24th May 1916
1st ANZAC Corps.
1.The Army Commander has approved of the following principles governing attachment of infantry to Tunnelling Companies.
(i)Australian Companies to have ANZAC Infantry.
(ii)Canadian Companies to have Canadian Infantry.
(iii)Imperial Companies to have Imperial Infantry.
2.The Controller of Mines may demand up to 300 men from any division for work anywhere on the Second Army Front, but he will be responsible that no more men are asked for than are required, and, if as many as 300 men are not required from all Divisions, weal Divisions will be called on to contribute fewer men.
3.Men from each Division will, as far as possible, be kept with one Tunnelling Company, and be employed on their Divisional front, but this cannot be made a hard and fast rule.
4.In order to ensure continuity and to save the loss of time and efficiency in tunnelling work which frequent changes of personnel occasion, attached Infantry will not go out to rest with their Divisions and will not be moved to join their Divisions in the event of their Divisions coming back into a different part of the line in the same Corps sector.
5.In the event of Divisions changing Corps the question of the transfer of attached Infantry will be considered on its merits.
(S/d) H. B. Williams.
M.G.G.S.
Second Army
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Headquarters
1st A.&.N.Z.A.C.
25th May, 1916
Headquarters
1st Australian Division
2nd Australian Division
New Zealand Division
The attached copy of 2nd Army G.200 of 24th May, is reference to the attachment of infantry to tunnelling companies is forwarded for your information and compliance.
I am to say that men so employed will not be struck off the strength, and in consequence their places cannot be filled.
This matter has, however, been taken up with the Army.
(signed)
Brigadier-General
General Staff
1st A.&.N.Z.A.C.
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REPORT
UPON THE
Department of Defence
From the First of July, 1914, until
the Thirtieth of June, 1917.
Part 1
Compiled in the Office of the Secretary, Department of
Defence, from information furnished by Heads
of Branches and Commandants
of Military Districts.
[Page 41 – 42]
MINING BATTALION
At the suggestion of an influential deputation representing the mining, engineering, and geological professions, and by direction of the Minister of Defence, a conference was held at Melbourne on the 18th August, 1915, to consider and report on the question of the formation of a Mining Battalion
The outcome of this conference was an offer to the Imperial Government in the following terms:
“8th September.In view of the Commonwealth’s exceptional resources in expert miners, mining engineers, and machinery, this Government prepared to organize at once and despatch at early date a mining Corps numbering up to 1,000 for service in the Dardenelles or elsewhere. Such corps to consist of miners skilled in the handling of mining machinery and plant for rapid tunnelling, whether with or without explosives, experienced mining engineers and geologists, and fully equipped with all necessary machinery and appliances. Suitable timber for lining the tunnels could also be supplied. Such a corps would, it is suggested, greatly accelerate and facilitate extensive tunnelling operations . . . .”
To which a reply was received on 13th idem: -
“Army Council greatly appreciate and gladly accept offer of Mining Corps. They consider it would be most valuable in form of number of tunnelling companies. These are being organized here on basis of 200 expert face men to 100 less skilled assistants . . . . Army Council inquire what number of companies could be formed, having regard to necessity for supplying reinforcements calculated at same rates as for other Engineer units . . .”
The personnel of the Corps was selected with great care. The officers were men of professional standing, being mining engineers or surveyors, mechanical and electrical engineers, and geologists, all of whom had experience in underground work. The non-commissioned officers and sappers were mining foremen, shift bosses, tunnellers, blacksmiths, carpenters, &c., and were underground workman.
In view of their qualifications, it was confidently expected that the standard of efficiency would be high.
The unit was equipped with about 40 drilling machines, each capable of drilling a 6½-in. horizontal bore at the rate of 6 to 8 feet per hour up to a distance of 300 or 400 feet, a rate enormously exceeding any method of mining.
By placing the machines at intervals of, say, 30 yards, it should be possible, after three days’ work to blow up half-a-mile of enemy trenches at a distance of 100 yards.
Successful experiments were made in Australia by the unit in exploding mines at the end of long bores.
The units, which was raised in all Military Districts, consisted of Head-Quarters and 3 Companies, with 1st reinforcements, a total of 1,154 all ranks (vide A.I.F. Table No. 11), and sailed from Australia during March, 1916.
Tunnelling Companies
The Imperial Government having previously stated that further Tunnelling Companies would be most acceptable, an offer of three additional Tunnelling Companies was made on the 7th February, 1916, and accepted on 15th idem.
The personnel of these units was similar in all respects to the Mining Corps, and numbered with 1st reinforcements 1, 116 all ranks (vide A.I.F. Table No. 14). It may be added, that at a later date, owing to an increase in the establishment of Tunnelling Companies, these three units were absorbed into Nos. 1, 2, and 3 Tunnelling Companies, which were formed from original Mining Corps.
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