WW1 Film: Beneath Hill 60

[catch 81]

This may be of interest to some. A new Aussie WW1 film about the underground miner's exploits in their effort to win the war. Local release date 15th April 2010.

 

http://www.beneathhill60.com.au/

 

http://www.beneathhill60.com.au/intro.htm

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Ah yes this story about the guys armed with Bayonets / Clubs / Spades etc who dug under the Trenches?...brutal stuff!

(saw a documentary about it on History Channel)....musta been the worse job in WW1

[Flyby PC 23]

I read somewhere.... (Did read it, forget which book).

 

The British sappers who dug the British mines were sometimes taken straight from the coal face, stuck in a uniform and taken to the front line. They weren't proper soldiers, they were only there to dig and weren't trained to fight or even wear their uniform correctly. On one occassion, two walked past an officer without saluting. The officer took offence at their general demeanor and apparent lack of respect so he shot them on the spot.

 

I think I read it in Forgotten Voices - compiled by Max Arthur, but wouldn't swear to it ....

[Flyby PC 23]

Nearly right ... Correct book, p150.

 

It wasn't an officer but a sergeant who shot them for ignoring his order to halt. He was court martialled and lost a stripe.

 

Hard to believe life was ever so cheap.

[Creaghorn 10]

Nearly right ... Correct book, p150.

 

It wasn't an officer but a sergeant who shot them for ignoring his order to halt. He was court martialled and lost a stripe.

 

Hard to believe life was ever so cheap.

 

 

i read a story of a french soldier from island of korsika. he didn't speak any french but italian, but korsika belongs officially to france. since he didn't understand a word what the officer was shouting in his face, he was shot because of denying orders. i think stuff like that happened occasionally on every side.

[trebby 0]

Thanks for the tip. Will be lookin out for that one!

 

trebby

[Rugbyfan1972 1]

For a detailed account of the life of the miners during WW1 read the book beneath flanders field, it goes into a great detail on everything including the different types of soil encountered, and includes many first hand accounts of what it was like.

 

My favourite one has to be the miner who lost conciousness while using a rubber tube to breath through and his mate was unable to prise his mouth open to remove the tube so he could breath freely again, so he used a nearby crowbar to prise his mouth open, also removing 2 of his teeth in the process.