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Preserved in Stone – Underground Art of the First World War

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Beneath the trench-scarred battlefields of First World War France lies a hidden world of tunnels and old chalk quarries used by armies on both sides for shelter, for storage and to stage attacks. Canadian troops preparing for the Battle of Vimy Ridge left their mark on some of these spaces by carving images and scratching their names into the soft stone. A century later, 3D reproductions and photographs of these embellishments recall the camaraderie, boredom, death and longing for home that soldiers experienced in these gloomy wartime sanctuaries.

This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Canadian War Museum, and Michael and Anne Gough.

Photograph of a carving in Blenheim Quarry, Arras, France
© Brett Killington 2015