Thanks Russell - very interesting reading.
The explosion is the same as a tactic used in WWI - tunneling under the enemy trench lines and then filling the tunnels with explosive (both sides were at it - underground warfare).
Remember seeing a programme about this:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/messines.htm
"Audible in Dublin and by Lloyd George in his Downing Street study, the combined sound of the simultaneous mine explosions comprised the loudest man-made explosion until that point. The lighting up of the sky as the detonations ran across the ridge was likened to a 'pillar of fire'.
"The effect of the mine explosions upon the German defenders was devastating. Some 10,000 men were killed during the explosion alone. "
And incredibly:
"Of the two mines which remained undetonated on 7 June (1917), the details of their precise location were mislaid by the British following the war, to the discomfort of local townspeople. One of the mines was detonated in a thunderstorm on 17 June 1955: the only casualty was a dead cow. The second mine remains undetected, although in recent years its location is believed to have been pinpointed. No-one has as yet attempted its recovery."
Chris Dainton
Peak Environmental Solutions
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