179th Tunnelling Company

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The 179th Tunnelling Company was a unit of the British Army’s Royal Engineers in World War I. Known as “The Moles,” their job was to dig tunnels under enemy lines, place mines, and build underground rooms and tunnels for troops, signals, and medical services.

Formation and purpose
Formed in 1915 as part of a wider effort to counter German mining, the company joined other tunnelling units to dig, blast, and defend underground trenches. They worked in areas like the Somme, where there was hard fighting underground, and later in Flanders and Ypres.

La Boisselle and the Lochnagar mine
The 179th is best known for its work at La Boisselle on the Somme and for firing the Lochnagar mine during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The Lochnagar mine was one of several large mines dug beneath the German lines to help begin the attack. Work began in late 1915, with 179th and other tunnellers digging from behind the British front line.

The mine at La Boisselle consisted of two main chambers and a long tunnel leading to the German trenches. It was loaded with thousands of kilograms of explosive and was designed to create a huge crater that would expose and disrupt German defenses. The charge was fired on July 1, 1916, at the start of the Somme offensive. The explosion created a massive crater and a loud blast, but it did not by itself win the village or the day for the attackers. Many Allied troops still suffered heavy casualties in the fighting around the crater.

Other La Boisselle work and the aftereffects
In addition to Lochnagar, the 179th and other tunnelling units prepared another mine known as Y Sap. The explosions of these mines were intended to destroy German dugouts and make it easier for infantry to attack. The operation showed both the power and limits of mining in the war.

Move to Ypres and dugouts
In 1917, the 179th moved to the Ypres area near Boezinge in Belgium. There they built deep dugouts for protection and shelter, including several that served as headquarters for units, such as Yorkshire Trench, Butt 18, Nile Trench, and Heading Lane Dugout. Building these deep shelters required stealth and careful handling of dangerous ground near the enemy.

Winter 1917–18 and later action
During the winter of 1917–18, the company worked in the La Bassée sector, helping to dig deep dugouts along the front line to strengthen defenses against a German offensive. They continued to support fortifications and underground work as the war continued.

Notable notes
Captain Henry Hance was an early commander of the 179th, and Captain James Young fired the Lochnagar mine at the Somme. The unit’s work is remembered as a bold but costly part of the underground war that shaped the battlefield in World War I.