The WW2 Tunnels on the Rock of Gibraltar
Between July 1940 and March 1943, Engineers excavated additional tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar in order to hold out in the event of a siege
[Photograph by J. Ritson, April 2008]
The above photograph shows the mark left by 178 Tunnelling Co, R.E. who had excavated this section of the tunnel between July 1940 and March 1943. With the fall of France in June 1940, it was felt there was a strong possibility that Spain may enter the war on the Axis side.
At that time Gibraltar was a key strategic location at the entrance to the Mediterranean, and an important staging post for Allied ships on the way to Malta, the Middle East, Suez and the Far East. So additional tunnelling inside the Rock began, although by the work was completed in 1943 any potential threat of siege had long since passed.
[For additional information click on ‘Comments’ below’]
At that time Gibraltar was a key strategic location at the entrance to the Mediterranean, and an important staging post for Allied ships on the way to Malta, the Middle East, Suez and the Far East. So additional tunnelling inside the Rock began, although by the work was completed in 1943 any potential threat of siege had long since passed.
[For additional information click on ‘Comments’ below’]
posted by ritsonvaljos at 1:07 pm
2 Comments:
Since 2005 the tunnels excavated inside the Rock of Gibraltar during WW2 have been opened to the public. For those interested in the history of the Second World War, engineering or mining the guided tours through these tunnels will certainly be of interest. The WW2 tunnels were excavated by companies from the Royal Engineers, many of whom had been British or Canadian miners prior to 1939, and extended the already existing tunnel system that had been developed over previous centuries since the Rock had been a British Colony.
During WW1 Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers had been used to mine under the German trenches on the Western Front. When WW2 broke out in 1939, some additional Tunnelling Companies were reformed, although this time it was not to be a Trench Warfare Stalemate.
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