The Carrière Wellington Museum

The Carrière Wellington museum has been opened in Arras, France to commemorate the astonishing work of 450 New Zealanders who built a network of tunnels between Arras and the German front lines during World War 1.

The museum, Carrière Wellington, 22 metres underground, is named after the cavern where it is situated. Sound and light shows in the museum cover the discovery of the caverns, the military strategy, the work of the tunnellers in 1916 and 1917, and the battle – one of the most strategic of World War 1.

Visitors can then take guided tours of the tunnels and caverns.

About 20 kilometres of tunnels could accommodate 20,000 men. Facilities included running water, electric lighting, kitchens, latrines, a light rail system and a medical centre with a fully equipped operating theatre.

15,000 troops assembled safely for the planned attack in April 1917 without alerting German troops in the front line. In the ensuing Battle of Arras they broke through to the surface, pushing German lines back 11 kilometres.

Many of the tunnellers were recruited from gold and coal mining districts in New Zealand. They used place-names from home to navigate the complex underground passages, from Russell in the north to Bluff in the south.