World War ITimeline

1916

9 September

Enlisted at the age of 32

3rd Reinforcements

1916

4 October

Trained

Narrow Neck, Auckland

1916

15 November

Transfer to England

HMNZT 69 Tahiti

1916

16 November

Two New Zealand Tunnellers working underground during World War I; one man shovels rubble while the other digs into the chalk tunnel wall.

The Company began the operations to connect old underground quarries in Arras in order to accommodate thousands of soldiers for an upcoming battle

1917

29 January

Marched in to NZ Depot, Boscombe

1917

2 March

Embarked for France

1917

4 March

Marched in to NZ Base Depot, Etaples

1917

9 April

British Offensive

Battle of Arras

Soldiers marching along a road carrying shovels, heading toward a section of the road that requires repair during World War I.

The Company was employed to rebuild a major road leading to the Front during the battle

1917

13 April

Joined the Company

1917

5 May

A group of New Zealand Tunnellers posing inside their billet in an underground quarry near the front line; four of them are playing cards while others look on.

The Company moved to Monchy, ten kilometres east of Arras, to work on the fortification of the new front line

1917

19 August

Admitted to hospital with influenza

1917

25 August

Diagnosed with nephritis

1917

27 August

Embarked for England

1917

29 August

Admitted to hospital

1918

1 January

Overview of the sawmill built and operated by the New Zealand Tunnellers, located alongside a railway line, with stacks of timber and workers visible.

The Company was still carrying out the digging of underground premises and defences on the Front near Arras

1918

24 January

Classified unfit for active service

1918

2 February

Transfer to New Zealand

Troopship Maunganui

1918

23 November

End of Service

Demobilization

How to cite this page

Anthony Byledbal, “World War I Timeline of James McVeigh“, New Zealand Tunnellers Website, NaN (2009), Accessed: . URL: www.nztunnellers.com/tunnellers/567/wwi-timeline