[2] Following consultations between the Engineer-in-Chief of the BEF, Brigadier George Fowke, and the mining specialist John Norton-Griffiths, the War Office formally approved the tunnelling company scheme on 19 February 1915.

[3] To make the tunnels safer and quicker to deploy, the British Army enlisted experienced coal miners, many outside their nominal recruitment policy.

These companies each comprised 5 officers and 269 sappers; they were aided by additional infantrymen who were temporarily attached to the tunnellers as required, which almost doubled their numbers.

[2] The success of the first tunnelling companies formed under Norton-Griffiths' command led to mining being made a separate branch of the Engineer-in-Chief's office under Major-General S.R.

[4] The formation of twelve new tunnelling companies, between July and October 1915, helped to bring more men into action in other parts of the Western Front.

By the end of their time there the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company in the Loos-Hulluch sector reported that the enemy mining threat had ceased completely and the front was relatively quiet.

[8] In April 1918, the 3rd Australian and several other tunnelling companies (171st, 173rd, 183rd, 184th, 255th and 258th) were forced to move from their camps at Boeschepe, when the enemy broke through the Lys positions during the German spring offensive.

[9] During the great advance to victory in Autumn 1918, the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company constructed a road bridge at Moudit under shell fire.