By early 1917, the conflict had devolved into a grinding contest of attrition. For the men of the Monmouthshire Pioneer battalions, the ruins of the French coal-mining city of Lens presented an eerily familiar yet utterly devastated landscape. The once-thriving collieries had been transformed into formidable fortified redoubts.
In this shattered industrial sector, the valley boys utilized their mining background to navigate, tunnel, and survive amidst the rubble. It was a grueling urban siege marked by constant sniper fire, sudden trench raids, and devastating artillery bombardments. ► Read more...
The physical toll of operating in a landscape choked with poison gas and pulverized debris was immense. Pioneers like Pte. William Jones Onions and Rifleman Wyndham Workman worked exhaustively to maintain the defensive network and fell during these claustrophobic engagements.