Although I dont know the site it is quite possible it was a purpose built structure. With constant shelling many command and support functions were located underground and the static nature of the western front provided considerable time (years in fact) to enlarge and extend such facilities. I would have thought only a forward casualty clearing station would have needed to be in a bunker, raterh than a hospital, but maybe these were very large. After all, the numbers of casualties certanily were! Perhaps members of the military history mailbase would be the best people to ask.
David Eve
Greater London Sites and Monuments Record Manager
English Heritage
>>> Harald Finster <[log in to unmask]> 10/26 7:51 am >>>
Peter Claughton wrote:
>
> Tonight BBC News highlighted the discovery of an underground field hospital
> in Arras dating from the 1st world war. I would presume this was a chalk
> mine utilised as a hospital rather than a specially mined facility. Can
> anyone confirm its origin?
If you are talking about Arras in France, I can only tell you, that
there used to be a coal mine (as shown in the 'headframes' book of
B. & H. Becher).
Harald
--
Harald Finster
-
Windoze can be used on the North-Pole without any problems,
... because a frozen computer can't freeze
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