22. Collie Boys in the Mining Corp

WW1 – Collie Boys in the Mining Corps                             

Saluting their Service - Grahame Old

The Australian Mining Corps was formed during WW1

when it was suggested that the exceptional skills of the Australian mining industry could be utilised on the Western front. In 1915, 1000 men (mostly miners) from all over Australia were assembled in NSW for military training in the Mining Corps. It was not surprising that among them were miners from the coalfields of Collie. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian Tunnelling Companies were formed and after training the three companies embarked for France in May 1916.The 1st Australian tunnelling company was despatched to Ypres, Belgium and worked on the infamous Hill 60 operations. The 2nd Coy went to Neuville, France, and the 3rd Coy to Fauquissart, France, for work on Hill 70.

Typically tunnels were dug by hand using a technique called ‘Clay Kicking’. The tunnellers lay on a plank angled at 45 degrees away from the working face using a digging tool which had a cuplike rounded end, held between their legs and moved with their feet. The tool was turned manually and the soil was silently removed then placed in sand bags and passed out of the tunnel through a chain of men. Silence was imperative any sound could alert the enemy with dire consequences, including exploding charges which collapsed tunnels killing those trapped inside. Occasionally the tunnellers would encounter German tunnellers engaged in the same task and underground hand to hand fighting took place. Networks of tunnels were constructed by both sides; the tunnels provided protection for resting soldiers, eating and medical care away from the carnage of the war above.

Deep mines were also sunk beneath the enemy lines; the shafts were then filled with explosives and detonated usually before a major attack. The largest of these explosions took place in June 1917, below the Messines Ridge near Ypres. Works included the sinking of 22 mine shafts began in late 1915. The shafts were estimated to be a total of 8Km in length below the enemy held ridge. Hill 60 was a spoil heap from a railway cutting which formed a small rise on the crest of Messines Ridge. The initial works were conducted by British and Canadian tunnellers with the 1st Aust Tunnelling Coy taking over in November 1916. On the 7th June 1917 the explosives were detonated, the blasts created one of the largest pre-nuclear explosions in history demolishing the ridge and killing thousands of German soldiers. The blast was reportedly heard in London 260 Km away.

Lieutenant Roy Oscar Howie

A ‘Collie Boy’, Oscar Roy HOWIE, from Steere St Collie, enlisted into the Mining Corps in 1915. Howie, a mining engineer, was employed as a colliery undermanager in the Collie coalfields. His engineering expertise saw him enlisted as a direct entry officer with the rank of Lieutenant. Lt Howie was awarded a Military Cross MC for bravery during actions in France in July 1916. The Recommendation read;

“ For general good work for the past six months; for courage and devotion to duty on two occasions,

(1) On night 8/7/16 when he took a small party into No Man’s Land and worked for 2 ½ hours under intermittent machine gun and rifle fire to adjust a push pipe charge required to assist an Infantry Attack;  his work enabled the operation to be successfully carried out.

(2) On 19/7/16 when leads and fuse to a charge for making communication trench were cut by shell fire, he, accompanied by 2 N.C.O’s again successfully repaired the damage, working under very heavy fire; the charge was later successfully exploded.”

‘Collie Boys’ in the Mining Corps

There were 21 miners from Collie who served in the Mining Corps during WW1, sadly 2 miners died whilst on active service.

Those that served are listed below;

6796 Alexander ANDERSON                                 913 Thomas Richard ATHERTON

488 David Rowland BEDLINGTON                        5285 Ambrose Henry BRAY

9535 Henry COLBRAN                                            4327 Peter FERGUSON

4353 Charles HENDERSON                                    6464 James HORROCKS

Lt Oscar Roy HOWIE MC                                         1044 John Arnold JONES

6821 William KENNY (killed on active service)    5155 John Henry McLAREN

1118 Thomas PAGE                                                  7697 John PEMBER

5400 James Rhys PRITCHARD (killed on active service)

6837 Rupert Charles PRITCHARD                           7165 Thomas Archibald RICHARDS

5419 Thomas Greer SHANNON                               1166 Samson SIMPSON

1186 Evan THOMPSON Snr  

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‘Collie Boys’ of the 3rd Tunnelling Company

Back row L to R:                             1252 Robert Watson (NSW)

1186 Evan Thompson Snr

243 Robinson Barnes                                                                                   1166 Samson Simpson                                                                                913 Thomas Atherton                                  

Front row L to R:                                                                                                                             488 David Bedlington

Lt Oscar Roy Howie MC

Unknown Soldier

Hill 60

The day before the explosion British General Charles Harrington is quoted as saying;

‘Gentleman, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography’.

Remembered forever at the Collie Cardiff RSL Sub Branch

              ‘Lest we Forget’

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