{"id":2557,"date":"2009-02-25T00:06:29","date_gmt":"2009-02-24T13:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fffaif.wordpress.com\/?p=2557"},"modified":"2009-02-25T00:06:29","modified_gmt":"2009-02-24T13:06:29","slug":"briefing-room-no2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fffaif.org.au\/?p=2557","title":{"rendered":"*Briefing Room No.2"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo: The entrance to The Wellington Quarry, Arras. May 2008. [Chris Munro]<\/span><\/p>\n

The Battle of Arras\u00a0<\/a> was fought from 9 April to 16 May 1917, in Pas-de-Calais, France. In preparation for the battle 24,000 allied soldiers were mustered in an extensive underground network of tunnels below the town. The soldiers emerged from the tunnels close the German frontline for a surprise attack.<\/span><\/div>\n
The Arras quarry was first dug in the Middle Ages and the stone extracted was used to build many of the important buildings of the town. The quarry survived under the town which was largely destroyed by the fighting in 1914. The Tunnelling Company of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force were in charge of linking up the quarries to create an underground network where allied soldiers could be quartered, waiting for the offensive to begin.<\/span><\/div>\n
After the Great War, this network of tunnels lay forgotten until 1990 when they were re-discovered. After extensive work 350 metres of over 20 kilometres of tunnels, was opened to the public in January 2008 as part of The Wellington Quarry: The Battle of Arras Memorial. The entrance to the Memorial is located behind the car park of a large supermarket within walking distance of the main railway station at Arras. (GPS location of the entry the Memorial is 50o<\/sup>16’52.24″N\u00a0 2o<\/sup>46’59.37″E if you wish to\u00a0locate on Google Earth).<\/span><\/div>\n

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After watching a short historical film, visitors enter the tunnels by going down in a glass lift. Accompanied by a guide they are directed via an audio commentary through areas\u00a0which billeted soldiers while awaiting the offensive to start.<\/p>\n

Click on the arrows below the photo to view a slide show of Wellington Quarry.<\/p>\n

[slideshare id=1056012&doc=WellingtonQuarry-090222010221-phpapp02]<\/p>\n

Although the AIF were not in the tunnels at Arras a visit to the Wellington Quarry, Battle of Arras Memorial gives an interesting perspective on the underground aspects of war and is a worthwhile addition to Western Front itineraries. The tour takes just over an hour\u00a0and is a very interesting and worthwhile experience.<\/p>\n

For more details visit:<\/p>\n