The names of 731 Anzacs found in cave under the WW1 battlefields of France
Article about: Naours, France: A headlamp cuts through the darkness of a rough-hewn passage 100 feet underground to reveal an inscription: "James Cockburn 8th Durham L.I." It's cut so clean it co
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The names of 731 Anzacs found in cave under the WW1 battlefields of France
Naours, France: A headlamp cuts through the darkness of a rough-hewn passage 100 feet underground to reveal an inscription: "James Cockburn 8th Durham L.I."
It's cut so clean it could have been left yesterday. Only the date next to it – April 1, 1917 – roots it in the horrors of World War I.
nearly 2000 century-old inscriptions by Allied soldiers, including Australians, that have recently come to light in Naours, a two-hour drive north of Paris.
"It was a big surprise" Mr Prilaux said of the discovery of the World War I graffiti left by soldiers from Australia, Britain, Canada and the US.
Soldiers left similar inscriptions in tunnels at Arras and Vimy, but unlike those sites, Naours is well back from the front lines and it wasn't known to have been used as a shelter or hospital like other Western Front quarries.
Photographer Jeff Gusky has tallied 1821 individual names: 731 Australians, 339 British, 55 Americans, a handful of French and Canadians and 662 others whose nationalities have yet to be traced.
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Very interesting. Thanks for posting.
Steve
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theres some German names there as well,a gefreiter and a Leutnant.
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