The Silent Soldiers of Naours - Messages From Beneath the Somme

New Holland Australia, 2017

Recently rediscovered in hidden chambers in the north of France is an incredible secret of the Battle of the Somme and World War I. The signatures and graffiti of French, English and Australian soldiers tell a story of lives long lost but now found. The Silent Soldiers of Naours is the story of how French and Australian researchers rediscovered the incredible stories of what happened to these men. A large group of French archaeologists have been exploring more than 250 World War I sites since 2001. Having been involved in the Lost Diggers of Vignacourt project, an Australian group of researchers became involved with Gilles Prilaux and his team working in a small village near Vignacourt that was once behind the lines during WW1. Beneath a small village named Naours, over 3000 signatures are recorded on the walls of a network of ancient underground caves. Most of the signatures were left by Aussie soldiers while on leave or training for combat in Vignacourt and surrounding areas. Michael and Donna Fiechtner have been involved in the investigation of these signatures and a French archaeological team headed by Gilles Prilaux has been matching the signatures with the names and biographies of past soldiers. After leaving their names etched in history many went off to WWI battlefields, never to return. Here is a military book with a heart images of signatures and graffiti (drawings) matched to the names of Australian soldiers with full biographies and accompanying pictures and documentation. It is a unique story that offers something new to readers interested in the history of World War I...