war underground

[BIFFO]

I am reading Alexander Barrie underground war,

an excellent read, there is mention of The mound of death near st eloi,

I have never heard of this is it still there

Also tunnellers while underground pouring vinegar onto the chalk to make it go like putty to make it easier and quieter to dig any one else heard of this

Biff

[spof]

Also tunnellers while underground pouring vinegar onto the chalk to make it go like putty to make it easier and quieter to dig any one else heard of this

Biff

It wasn't just vinegar....urine was also used to soften the chalk to make it easier to remove and requiring less noise which could alert the enemy.

Lots of interesting tunnelling stuff here:

http://www.tunnellersmemorial.com/

http://www.laboisselleproject.com/

[BIFFO]

thanks for that

Biff

[Marilyne]

Biff,

Sounds like a very interesting book and what's even better ... it's available at the university library here in Strasburg ... nichts wie hin !!!

Thanks for the twio

Marilyne

[ServiceRumDiluted]

I picked up this book and expected it to be.. well.. a bit dull. No charges against machine guns, no dog fights in the skies. I thought it might be a bit focussed on the intricacies of pumping equipment and the mechanics of timber shoring.

How wrong can you be, one of the most captivating and engrossing reads for a long time, one section in particular was unputdownable and made the hairs on my neck stand up and my blood run cold. It really puts the incredible people who rose to the many challenges front and centre.

Brilliant.

[The Scorer]

I see from Amazon that there are three editions of this book, published in 1981, 1988 and 1999 respectively.

Are the later ones updated versions of the earlier ones, please, or just reprints? I'm interested in this, and I'd like to make sure that I get the best version.

Thanks.

[Martin Bennitt]

I have the 1981 paperback edition with an introduction by General Sir John Hackett, which I picked up somewhere for 30p, but it seems to have been originally published in 1961. Quite a lot more has been written about the war underground since this book, notably by GWF member Simon Jones, but it was a pathbreaker at the time and still an excellent read.

Cheers Martin B

[paulgranger]

I have a later edition of the book, but read it originally shortly after it was published, just as I became old enough to use the local adult library, and found the Great War section. I thought it an excellent reads then, and it stands the test today, even though it's over 50 years old. A few years ago, I loaned an earlier paperback copy to a friend who, though an ex-Regular, had no knowledge of or interest in, the Great War, and he returned it to me, much enthused, and was absolutely amazed when I confirmed it was all fact, and not a fictional book!

[The Scorer]

Thank you, both .... I'll see what the best value is!

[Knotty]

Blimey

I have a copy of the 1961 edition priced @ 3/6, and published by House Journals Ltd London,it was destined for the local tip as far as I can remember.