The Great Siege Tunnels of Gibraltar

Also called the World War II Tunnels.

 

1. There are about 30 miles/ 50 km, of tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar.  It took 3 years of tunneling by coal miners from England to make this vast tunnel system.

2.  Inside the tunnels there was a city with sleeping quarters, hospital, cafeteria, etc.  About 5,000 people lived in the tunnels during World War II.  This was about 5,000 men and 300 women.

3.  The tunnels formed such a vast network and looked so much the same, that they were named, and the sleeping rooms lettered, so that they had addresses.  There was even a train system in the tunnels.  Luie was disappointed that the train area was not part of the tour.

 

4.  Gibraltar’s Great Siege Tunnels have only been open to the public since 2005.  And only 1% is open to civilians.  The rest of them are still used by the military.

 

5.  The men rotated three 8 hour shifts that included guard duty, removal of tunneling rocks, and sleeping.  There were three men assigned to each bunk so that when one man was at the end of his 8 hours of sleep, the next man would take the bunk at that time and the rotation continued.  So the joke was that “the bed was always warm.” They worked 6 days a week and had one day off to be outside.

6.  There is a natural cave inside the tunnels and it is speculated that it was a happy day when the men found this cave that probably saved three days work.

 

7.  The photo above shows the walls of one of the men’s sleeping quarters.  The walls were situated 3 feet away from the walls of the tunnel to keep them dry and for airflow.

8.  The photo above is the women’s quarters.  The women worked in the offices outside of the tunnels, but slept in the tunnels for safety during the war.  Notice they have locked iron doors for their safety when living with 5,000 men.

9.  This is a balcony that looks out over the northeast side of Gibraltar.  There are 3 thick solid concrete walls that you have to zig zag through to get to this balcony.  Those walls protect from any gun fire or bombs that might come through the opening.

This is the view from the balcony.  Our tour guide reminded us how important it would have been for the men to spend just a few minutes a day out on the balcony.  Life Inside the tunnels would have been incredibly monotonous with the lighting, temperature, and routine always the same.

10.  The rock that was removed from the tunnels was crushed up and put out into the sea to extend the runway for the airport.  This is the same mile long runway used today.

 

Our tour guide, Smudge (English nickname for Smith) has been giving tours since the tunnels were opened in 2005.  He spent 5 days in the tunnels during his military training and he said that when he got outside, he felt really dizzy and had to sit down.  We thoroughly enjoyed his tour and are so happy that we paid extra for his expertise.  Also, without paying for the guided tour, you can only see maybe 5% of what you see in the tour.  Everyone in the family thought the tour was fascinating and we would highly recommend it!