$16.00 CAD
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Man sitting at entrance door of the Grange Subway System Vimy Ridge (France). The Grange Subway was a WW1 tunnel system used to being Canadian reserve troops to the front lines. Vimy was a pivotal part of Canadian military history.
Note moldier helmets lining both sides of path to door.
Sign above door:
Sign on door: “Ne pas descendre sans guide’ (Do not descend without guide)
Crease right side. Smudges on back.
Grange Subway
The First World War's Western Front included an extensive system of tunnels, subways, and dugouts. The Grange Subway is a tunnel system that is approximately 800 metres (870 yd) in length and once connected the reserve lines to the front line. This permitted soldiers to advance to the front quickly, securely, and unseen. A portion of this tunnel system is open to the public through regular guided tours provided by Canadian student guides.
The Arras-Vimy sector was conducive to tunnel excavation owing to the soft, porous yet extremely stable nature of the chalk underground. As a result, pronounced underground warfare had been a feature of the Vimy sector since 1915 In preparation for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, five British tunnelling companies excavated 12 subways along the Canadian Corps' front, the longest of which was 1.2 kilometres (1,300 yd) in length. The tunnellers excavated the subways at a depth of 10 metres to ensure protection from large calibre howitzer shellfire. The subways were often dug at a pace of four metres a day and were often two metres tall and one metre wide. This underground network often incorporated or included concealed light rail lines, hospitals, command posts, water reservoirs, ammunition stores, mortar and machine gun posts, and communication centres.
WIKIPEDIA
