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Miners made up the tunneller divisions. These men arguably had the riskiest jobs of the war. They had to tunnel under No Mans Land to a point below the enemy trenches, where they would set charges and blow them up. The most famous of this type of operation occured on Messines Ridge during the Battle of Messines, when the explosion was so loud people in London reported hearing it.

They lived in cramped conditions below ground, safe from shellfire and enemy snipers, but vulnerable to enemy tunnellers, loss of oxygen and gas attacks. Often they carried canaries with them while they worked, to detect gas. If the bird lived, it was okay to be there. They also used torches to make sure there was enough oxygen.

If they heard enemy tunnellers they raced to head them off and stop their own trenches being bombed. Sometimes this resulted in horrific hand-to-hand fighting below the earth, when shovels and picks turned into killing weapons.

A good movie, if you are ever wanting to know more, is "Beneath Hill 60". It is an Australian film which ultimately ends with the mining of Messines.

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14y ago

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