4.2 A war underground

Few people realise that below the battlefields of the First World War are a vast network of tunnels, shelters and mine shafts that were dug out by dedicated tunnellers. The films on this page show these tunnellers at work.

DESTROYING ENEMY TRENCHES
0 MINS 27 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1914-1918

Contains distressing footage.

We see an explosion on the battlefield as an enemy trench is destroyed. Then we see how it was done. From a safe distance, two soldiers appear to hook up a detonator to a wire leading to explosives.

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15,000 MILES TO SERVE
0 MINS 17 SECS, SILENT, B/W, 1914-1918

Tunnellers from New Zealand are inspected by the High Commissioner during the First World War. The exact location and date for this film is unknown, but it is likely to have been shot in England.