The tunnels were built by the Royal Engineers in the closing stages of the war(Photo from The Telegraph)
Excavations Give Insight Into Underground Life Of First World War Soldiers On Western Front -- The Telegraph
Built 50ft beneath the killing fields of the Western Front, First World War "tunnel towns" not only gave British troops shelter from the slaughter above but provided the closest the men had to comfort.
Now, for the first time since the soldiers moved out, archaeologists have excavated an extensive network of the tunnels, near the Belgian town of Ypres.
The survey of the dugout, named Vampire, has shed fascinating new light on the experiences of the tens of thousands of soldiers who lived in similar subterranean workings, from the North Sea to the Swiss frontier, with dozens of poignant items of everyday life recovered.
After unearthing the entrance to the original shaft, used 90 years ago to create the structure, the group, led by academics from the University of Glasgow, followed it down 50ft below ground, after pumping out hundreds of tonnes of mud and water.
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