World War ITimeline

1915

1915
6 October

Enlisted at the age of 58

1st Reinforcements
1915
11 October

Trained

Avondale, Auckland
1915
18 December

Transfer to England

Steamship Ruapehu

1916

1916
3 February

Marched in to the Company Training Camp, Falmouth

1916
7 March

Stationed at Falmouth

1916
16 March
Three officers of the New Zealand Tunnelling Company seated and posing in a trench during World War I, wearing military uniforms and helmet.

The Company joined the underground warfare in the North of France

1916
23 March

Marched in to NZ Depot, Hornchurch

1916
31 March

Awarded 28 days detention for attempting to release a prisoner in arrest, threatening to strike and using insubordinate language

1916
28 June

Marched in to NZ Sling Camp, Bulford

1916
30 June

Detached to Royal Engineers School, Christchurch

1916
17 August

Forfeited 2 days pay for absence without leave

1916
26 August

Embarked for France

1916
28 August

Marched in to NZ Base Depot, Etaples

1916
27 September

Joined the Company

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

1916
27 December

Detached to Mine School

1917

1917
3 January

Rejoined the Company

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
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
20 October

Marched in to NZ Base Depot, Etaples

1917
27 October

Classified unfit for active service on account of overage and deafness

1917
10 November

Embarked for England

1917
11 November

Marched in to NZ Depot, Torquay

1918

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
10 January

Transfer to New Zealand

Troopship Arawa
1918
3 April

End of Service

Demobilization

How to cite this page

Anthony Byledbal, “World War I Timeline of Harry Brown“, New Zealand Tunnellers Website, NaN (2009), Accessed: . URL: www.nztunnellers.com/tunnellers/79/wwi-timeline