Battle Beneath the Trenches: The Cornish Miners of 251 Tunnelling Company RE

A military history of a group of British miners who dug attacking tunnels under enemy lines during World War I.

Undermining the positions of the enemy is one of the most ancient activities. For almost 3000 years even before 1914, it was a popular siege-breaking technique. During the Great War, arguably the greatest siege the world had ever seen, it presented a conflict environment that perfectly favoured the skills of the military miner. During 1915, the Western Front was established as a s...