Below the shattered ground that separated the British and German infantry on the Western Front in the First World War an unseen and largely unknown war was raging fought by miners tunnellers as they were known. They knew that at any moment their lives could be extinguished without warning by hundreds of tonnes of collapsed earth and debris. Australian tunnelling companies took part in the battles of Fromelles Arras Messines Passchendaele Cambrai the defence of Amiens Lys and the famous last 100 days. Crumps and Camouflets is the first complete history of Australias role in the tunnelling war of 1914-1919 of the men and units in which they served and of life in the tomblike tunnels of the war underground.
Below the shattered ground that separated the British and German infantry on the Western Front in the First World War an unseen and largely unknown war was raging fought by miners tunnellers as they were known. They knew that at any moment their lives could be extinguished without warning by hundreds of tonnes of collapsed earth and debris. Australian tunnelling companies took part in the battles of Fromelles Arras Messines Passchendaele Cambrai the defence of Amiens Lys and the famous last 100 days. Crumps and Camouflets is the first complete history of Australias role in the tunnelling war of 1914-1919 of the men and units in which they served and of life in the tomblike tunnels of the war underground.