Beneath Hill 60 by Will Davies

On the 7^th June, 1917 nineteen massive mines erupted beneath the Messines Ridge, smashing open the German frontline. It was the largest man-made explosion in history, ten thousand German soldiers died.

“Beneath Hill 60” is a poignant reminder of how brutal, horrific and primitive conditions were on the front during World War one. Written by historian Will Davies, the book pulls no punches and vividly relates the dangers of tunnelling metres from enemy lines.

Captain Oliver Woodward, a member of the Australian Imperial Force and No 1 Company of the newly formed Mining Battalion is a key figure in this true story but the book offers so much more.

Davies would have been forgiven in concentrating solely on Woodward’s part in the capture of Hill 60 beneath the Messines Ridge but he does a remarkable job in recounting the background history to the skirmishes and tunnelling.

The use of tunnellers in the military had a long history even though it had been for decades neglected.  The main purpose was to build hospitals, underground storage and billets and if designed and built correctly with a constant supply of water and food the military could hold out against the enemy almost indefinitely.

Not only were tunnels designed to store and protect but they also allowed a way to attack fortifications by digging below a structure. However the introduction of gunpowder in the mid-13^th century rendered tunnelling an obsolete skill.

Following savage attacks from German tunnellers killing thousands of soldiers and a distinct lack of technical ability from the British to retaliate Field Marshal Lord Kitchener called upon the services of Conservative MP John Norton-Griffiths. Three months after his initial request, Griffiths and his “moles” began digging their way towards the German front heralding a new professionalism to the tunnelling movement.

Captain Oliver Woodward signed up to fight in The Great War following the death of his cousin in Gallipoli. Woodward, who was to play a major part in the Australian tunnelling Company, acted without delay upon receiving news of the Moffat Reid’s death.  Woodward had received numerous white feathers, a mark of cowardice, for his decision to work in the copper mines rather than sign up and fight for his country.

“In regard to these white feathers I have one wish and one regret. The wish that the senders may some day in their life experience a fraction of the agony which their thoughtlessness brought to the recipients, and the regret I did not have the feathers to carry with me as a pillow”.

Davies recounts the dangers above and below the surface, namely gas poisoning. Chlorine gas (above ground) was introduced in 1915 by the Germans and the dangers of digging chalk tunnels heightened the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas was undetectable being colourless, odourless and tasteless – it accounted for 3 soldiers a day.

Zero hour – when all nineteen mines weighing 460 tonnes would explode – was set at 3:10am. Woodward, like others was kept in the dark and only informed two days prior. Woodward tested and re-tested connections to the two mines under his control and with 45 minutes left before detonation he carried out a resistance test for the final time.

A brilliant account of a war waged ninety feet below the surface. Utilising Oliver Woodward’s diaries and other first-hand accounts, Beneath Hill 60 is a must read for any World War One aficionado.

Published by Transworld “Beneath Hill 60” is available to buy from Waterstones & Amazon.