Apr 06, 2017
As the war dragged on month after month, year after year, soldiers faced countless hours of idle time in the underground shelters that were their protection from the battle occurring above. They produced carvings on a variety of subject matter into the soft limestone. Among the most common were recognition of their units and expressions of patriotism.
This German carving was made by tunnel miners as a morale booster for soldiers passing through the tunnel to the trenches. It translates as “God Strike England.” “Good Luck.” The German phrase “Glück auf” is actually uniquely an expression miners use for good luck. The more common German phrase is Viel Glück.
Photographs by Jeff Gusky
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