Thread by @petedavo_au

There are 22 dead Australian sappers recorded at Hersin Communal Cemetery Extension in CWGC website from Australian Tunneling Corps having all died on a single day 27/11/1916. The most that they ever lost in a single action. But how and why? Nothing found on the web so far.

I did find a reference to Scottish Tunnellers being killed on the same day 27/11/1916 being buried at another CWGC cemetery nearby. Were they from the same incident?

What's going on with the lack of details? It seems fishy. Were all these men killed when a mine was exploded whilst they were still in it? And the episode covered up?

This is the biggest loss of life on a single day in tunneling operations in WW1, yet there seems to be zilch information about it and what caused it.

I think that I've discovered the answer, and who was responsible for blowing the mine before it was evacuated. cbc.ca/news/canada/mo…

It doesn't mention that any of our sappers were killed. But the Canadians heard the noise of tunnellers trying to dig there way out, and assumed they were Germans apparently. Was this mine blown whilst their own sappers were still down there?

Did this Canadian WW1 legend of Montreal Crater actually cover up a shocking blunder? Or a deliberate act to sacrifice our own sappers for the shake of a deadline?
Was a VC awarded instead of a Court Marshall to the Officer who flicked the switch to detonate the explosives?

May they rest in Peace
cwgc.org/find/find-war-…

It doesn't say how the Scottish Sapper died on 27/11/1916, but it does say where they're buried.
scottishmilitaryresearch.weebly.com/uploads/7/3/9/…

Found something... This might be it.
rgcrompton.info/crompton/1821i…

1/2
"The work on Hill 70 wasn't without casualties. On 27 November 1916 whilst tamping gallery 21DD with 17,500 lbs of ammonal the enemy exploded a camouflet under Black Watch, which exploded the ammonal."

2/2
"Casualties included Lt H. Russel wounded and 20 ORs killed with eight ORs "mine gassed", the largest loss of life experiences by the Australian Tunnelling Companies"

The War Diary entry for 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company in November 1916 casually mentioning the greatest Loss of life in a single event by Australian Sappers during WW1

@AWMemorial And then, just over a year later, on 29/11/1917, one of my Great Grand Uncles is killed.
Sapper Charles Ernest Burley.

@AWMemorial So, was the explosion in the tunnel on 27/11/1916 at Vimy Ridge caused by German counter mining tactics, as the Australians say? Or a planned and timed detonation of the mine as the Canadians say? Maybe the truth wasn't good propaganda for the War effort and was buried?

@AWMemorial Let's unroll this thread for later @threadreaderapp