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Confrécourt caves reveal secrets of WW1 soldiers

Not far from the front lines of World War One in northern France, underground caves reveal the lives of troops away from the battlefield.

Underground caves in northern reveal secrets of WW1 soldiers. (BBC)
Underground caves in northern reveal secrets of WW1 soldiers. (BBC)

American photographer, Jeff Gusky, documented the remnants of the Confrécourt quarries and the living conditions of French soldiers away from the human destruction.

The cave, developed by the troops, included a hospital zone, a dormitory, storage for food and ammunitions, and office quarters.

Over time, soldiers carved striking works of art and murals into the stone walls, including an image of Marianne, a national emblem of the French Republic.  

The cave also houses a roll call memorial of soldiers who had died and an altar for prayer before returning to the battle front.

“Men from both sides defied the inhuman scale of modern life and declared themselves as human beings, who could think, and feel, and express and create," Mr Gusy said.

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"(They) remind us today that were here, and that they once existed as living, breathing human being."


1 min read

Published

Updated

By Alisha Buaya



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