The Somme, secret tunnel wars · AditNow Community

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Tamarmole
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12 years ago

Just watched a cracking programme on BBC 4 on underground warfare on the Somme . Narrated by Peter Barton who knows his stuff. Excellent footage showing the multi level La Boiselle tunnel system - highly recommended.

Check it out on i player.

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Morlock
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12 years ago

Just watched it, excellent. 🙂

JR
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12 years ago

Very moving, particularly as I hail from the Black country.
If anyone missed it, it's now up on iplayer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01skvnh/The_Somme_Secret_Tunnel_Wars/

sleep is a caffeine deficiency.

Roy Morton
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Newbie

12 years ago

Mining in more than one sense; Brave guys indeed and good to see they have not been forgotten.

"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"

RJV
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12 years ago

Tunneling as a element of warfare would make for an interesting book if one hasn't already been written. Not massively up on the subject but it was used in siege tactics at least as long ago as Henry V with knights in armour fighting in the galleries (!) driven to undermine defences and also at least as recently in the Cold War with tunnels driven in Vienna & Berlin to intercept Soviet communications...

agricola
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Newbie

12 years ago

"Roy Morton" wrote:
Mining in more than one sense; Brave guys indeed and good to see they have not been forgotten.

I can recommend this book if you want to know more in detail :

"The Work of the Royal Engineers in the European War 1914 -1919, – MILITARY MINING" -

Its an official report, so there is much detail into all aspects including Mine Rescue etc. A really good book.

The programme itself was excellent. I do wonder how much more they managed to explore, which wasn't shown for various reasons. I think I would be happier (if thats the right word) exploring the Somme tunnels rather than those in Ypres salient, at least the Somme are dry and not in clay and just importantly not timbered !

It just makes you think, ask your self this question do you think you could have done it ? Not the tunnelling itself but your nerves, the thought that at any moment some one might break in or blow you up. No wonder they drank so much ...

If it can't be grown it has to be mined.

ttxela
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Newbie

12 years ago

It was an excellent programme.

For reading "Tunnelers" by Captain W. Grant Grieve is very good and has the merit of being written not long after.

"The Norton-Griffiths Story" by Tony Bridgland is also well worth a read although the WW1 tunnels are only a part of the story!

"Beneath Flanders Fields" by Peter Barton himself is also a fantastic book and contains alot of technical detail on construction methods and some fantastic drawings.

grahami
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Newbie

12 years ago

Another good book is "The Underground War - Vimy Ridge to Arras" by Phillip Robinson & Nigel Cave - plenty of plans, maps diagrams and photos. Simon Jones' "Underground Warfare 1914-1918" is more general but also very interesting. The Durand Group have been doing a lot of exploring of the various tunnels - their web site is worth a look:
http://www.durandgroup.org.uk/index.html
And they have produced some fascinating videos of their explorations - they are published by Fougasse films.

I agree with the comment about Ypres - very wet and muddy!

Grahami

The map is the territory - especially in chain scale.

Peter Burgess
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12 years ago

"RJV" wrote:
Tunneling as a element of warfare would make for an interesting book if one hasn't already been written. Not massively up on the subject but it was used in siege tactics at least as long ago as Henry V with knights in armour fighting in the galleries (!) driven to undermine defences and also at least as recently in the Cold War with tunnels driven in Vienna & Berlin to intercept Soviet communications...

Mining was used extensively in the time of King John in his battles in Normandy and later in England. In the latter case, specifically sieges at Rochester and Dover castles.

crl50
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Newbie

12 years ago

#10

"Peter Burgess" wrote:
Mining was used extensively in the time of King John in his battles in Normandy and later in England. In the latter case, specifically sieges at Rochester and Dover castles.

Some of the mining & counter mining tunnels are still there at Dover.

Ty Gwyn
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Newbie

12 years ago

#11

Hence the status given to the Free Miners of the Forest of Dean,for their exploits in undermining ? castle.

RJV
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12 years ago

#12

Wikipedia has a short but interesting article upon the subject generally.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_ (military)

Gavin
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12 years ago

#13

A film called beneath hill 60 is well worth watching

GAVIN

crl50
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Newbie

12 years ago

#14

There was a good documentary a few years ago called 'One of Our Mines IsMissing' it followed EOD engineers trying to find a lost mine on Vimy ridge it's well worth watching.

ttxela
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Newbie

12 years ago

#15

"grahami" wrote:
The Durand Group have been doing a lot of exploring of the various tunnels - their web site is worth a look:
http://www.durandgroup.org.uk/index.html
And they have produced some fascinating videos of their explorations - they are published by Fougasse films.

Grahami

The Durand Group are a good crew, I visited a site they were working on a while back, I'd like to go back and see some more at some point :thumbup:

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/community/viewtopic.aspx?t=4777&pid=2

pingu
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Newbie

12 years ago

#16

Have a look at www.laboisselleproject.com to see more about these particular tunnels, and, if your finances allow, take a trip to the Somme. It makes a nice change from the mines of North Wales :lol: We spent time at the dig last year and were very lucky to be given a tour by Peter Barton himself. :thumbup: A very rewarding, very moving experience.

ttxela
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Newbie

12 years ago

#17

"pingu" wrote:
Have a look at www.laboisselleproject.com to see more about these particular tunnels, and, if your finances allow, take a trip to the Somme. It makes a nice change from the mines of North Wales :lol: We spent time at the dig last year and were very lucky to be given a tour by Peter Barton himself. :thumbup: A very rewarding, very moving experience.

That would be good to see! Sadly I'm unlikely to make it over there at the moment as I'm on strict trip rationing due to the forthcoming Texas jaunt.

I wonder how much of the underground stuff you see if you just rock up?