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Caves Under the WWI Trenches

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Margaret
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Caves Under the WWI Trenches

Post by Margaret » Sun May 24th, 2015, 7:53 pm

Here's a fascinating article about efforts to preserve these caves where WWI soldiers hung out when not being bombed to smithereens in the trenches: Racing to Preserve the Underground Cities of WWI. I had no idea these cave shelters even existed, and they are not mentioned in any of the WWI novels I have read.
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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Sun May 24th, 2015, 8:46 pm

Wow, I had no idea, thanks for sharing. I've read some WWI novels in the last year, and some get down and gritty about the details of the trenches. Very sad stuff.
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MLE (Emily Cotton)
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Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Mon May 25th, 2015, 4:08 am

Great article! I think the reason it isn't in any of the WWI novels is because the writers didn't know about these caves.
I sense a couple of great reads percolating in somebody's head, though. :D What a setting!

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blueemerald
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Post by blueemerald » Mon May 25th, 2015, 10:37 pm

This article is so interesting. Good to have this information/story available. Glad photos were included as I'm not just left to my imagination. Thanks for sharing Margaret.
I've read extensively various fictions about WWI. I don't recall any book incorporating the story of tunnels (such as documented in this article). I do remember several books describing the difficulty keeping the trenches intact due to the high water table in many areas of Flanders Field.
Such emotional and physical challenges people experienced with WWI. And such resolve, creativity and effort demonstrated to not just endure, but overcome the obstacles.

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Margaret
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Posts: 2440
Joined: August 2008
Interest in HF: I can't answer this in 100 characters. Sorry.
Favourite HF book: Checkmate, the final novel in the Lymond series
Preferred HF: Literary novels. Late medieval and Renaissance.
Location: Catskill, New York, USA
Contact:

Post by Margaret » Sat May 30th, 2015, 3:59 am

Yes, the photos are amazing! WWI is not a period I'm drawn to write about, but the caves would make for great setting detail.
Browse over 5000 historical novel listings (probably well over 5000 by now, but I haven't re-counted lately) and over 700 reviews at www.HistoricalNovels.info

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