THE National Coal Museum is retracing the exploits of hero miners who dug their way to victory during the trench warfare of the First World War.
A new Big Pit exhibition is lifting the lid on the work of ordinary tunnellers turned soldiers who dug under enemy lines to detonate explosives to give the Allies the edge on the Western Front.
Among the Welsh heroes was Blaenavon mining engineer Arthur Edwards who fought during the first day of the Battle of the Somme, and also helped to fire the first British mine of the war in 1915.
After two months of tunnelling under enemy lines, the mining party that he led detonated explosives which caused buildings above ground to collapse over tunnels used by enemy snipers.
On another occasion, German miners, tunnelling in one direction, broke into Allied tunnels being dug in the opposite direction, resulting in fierce hand-to-hand fighting underground.
The exhibition featuring panels is called When Dai became Tommy, in reference to the common names of Welsh miners and soldiers during the First World War.
The free exhibition is on at the Big Pit in Blaenavon until September 6.
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