Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
The War Underground
The War Underground in many ways defined the static nature of the First World War on the Western Front. We examine the history of military mining, discover Sir John Norton Griffiths and his attempt to recruit 10,000 “moles” to work beneath No Man’s Land, and examine the pinnacle of mine warfare at Messines in 1917.
Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.
Simon Jones’ website: Myths of Messines
RECOMMENDED READING:
War Underground by Alexander Barrie
Beneath Flanders Fields by Peter Barton and Peter Doyle
Podcast Extras:
5 Comments on “The War Underground”
Leave a reply to Stephen Hunt Cancel reply
Old Front Line 
Very interesting sure you know this but Norton-Griffiths committed suicide in Egypt in 1930 after a failed business venture and his son was with the BEF in 1940 and has NKG and commemorated on the Dunkirk MttM…..He was also RE…..
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A subject close to my heart ! Thanks mate.
Just an addition, 2/Monmouth Pioneers were the chaps who dug the tunnel into Sunken Lane, from the sap created by 252 TC.
Also I believe there is a ‘lost’ mine under the Tambour at Fricourt.
Thanks again. Most excellent.
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Thanks for an excellent podcast and the debunking of the myths, especially around casualties. Like you I had read and believed that 10,000 Germans were “vaporised” in the initial explosions. However, as we know from the references to the 60,000 dead on the first day of the Somme, these myths are hard to debunk once they take root. Within the last week I saw 100, 000 dead quoted on BBC programmes about D-Day. This figure may be correct for the the whole battle of Normandy, but not for D-Day.
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Col. Norton Griffiths MP was also a member of the General Committee, appointed in Oct 1916, to consider what form of memorial should be made available to the next of kin of those who died on active service. Links to the pod cast “The Dead Man’s Penny”.
Paul, I am very much enjoying catching up with the back catalogue. Thank you for the coverage and commentaries so far, fantastic listening and viewing too with the VLOG’s.
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Thanks, glad it’s all of interest!
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