Beneath Flanders Fields
The Tunnellers' War 1914-1918
Will be published approx. on 26. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
978-1-83705-159-5 (ISBN)
Description
Whilst the war raged across Flanders fields, an equally horrifying and sometimes more dangerous battle took place underground. Beneath Flanders Fields tells the story of the tunnellers' war, which still remains one of the most misunderstood, misrepresented and mystifying conflicts of the Great War.
A wealth of personal testimonies reveal the engineering, technology and science behind how this most intense of battles was fought - and won. They speak of how the tunnellers lived a relentless existence in the depths of the battlefield for almost two and a half years, enduring physical and mental stresses that were often more extreme than their infantry counterparts. Their lives were reduced to a complex war of silence, tension and claustrophobia, leading up to the most dramatic mine offensive in history launched on 7 June 1917 at Messines Ridge. Yet, Messines was not the end of their story, which continued with the crafting of a whole underground world of headquarters, cookhouses and hospitals, housing the innumerable troops who passed through this part of the Western Front.
Here, this extraordinary, hidden world is revealed and the fragile legacy it has left behind on Flanders fields is brought to light.
A wealth of personal testimonies reveal the engineering, technology and science behind how this most intense of battles was fought - and won. They speak of how the tunnellers lived a relentless existence in the depths of the battlefield for almost two and a half years, enduring physical and mental stresses that were often more extreme than their infantry counterparts. Their lives were reduced to a complex war of silence, tension and claustrophobia, leading up to the most dramatic mine offensive in history launched on 7 June 1917 at Messines Ridge. Yet, Messines was not the end of their story, which continued with the crafting of a whole underground world of headquarters, cookhouses and hospitals, housing the innumerable troops who passed through this part of the Western Front.
Here, this extraordinary, hidden world is revealed and the fragile legacy it has left behind on Flanders fields is brought to light.
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
Edition type
New edition
Illustrations
460 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 172 mm
Width: 243 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
756 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83705-159-5 (9781837051595)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
02/2026
The History Press Ltd
€18.49
Available for download
Persons
Peter Barton, like so many others, derived his passion for the Great War from his grandfather, who served in a veterinary unit near Ypres, and from veteran friends like Bert Fearns, to whom this book is dedicated. He is a filmmaker and writer, and secretary of the All Party Parliamentary War Graves and Battlefields Heritage Group. Johan Vandewalle was born and bred in Zonnebeke. He grew up surrounded by the legacy of the Great War, and many childhood adventures involved things subterranean. Although today a skilled carpenter, his working life began as a professional civil engineer tunneller, and the combined knowledge of both disciplines has created a passion and technical understanding of the underground war which has made him the foremost explorer of the tunnels and dugouts in Flanders. Johan can be found on most evenings at his other business, the Cafe De Dreve on the corner of Polygon Wood, the home of the underground war in the Ypres Salient. PETER DOYLE specialises in the understanding of military terrain, with special reference to the two world wars. A member of the British Commission of Military History, and co-secretary of the Parliamentary All Party War Graves and Battlefield Heritage Group, he is the author of a number of works of military history.