World War 1, Europe, France, Western Front, St Quentin Canal, Bellicourt Tunnel, 51 Battalion, 1918

By September 1918, allied forces had pushed the Germans back to the Hindenburg Line. In part, this defensive line followed the route of the St Quentin Canal. Near Bellicourt, the canal ran underground for five and a half kilometers. On 29 September, after two days of heavy bombardment to destroy the German defences, Australian and American troops captured the tunnel. The discovery of an improvised German kitchen at the tunnel's southern end encouraged rumours of a secret "corpse-boiling-down" factory located within.