Beyond recall: searching for the remains of a British secret weapon of World War I

Banks, I. and Pollard, T. (2014) Beyond recall: searching for the remains of a British secret weapon of World War I. Journal of Conflict Archaeology, 9(3), pp. 119-155. (doi: 10.1179/1574077314Z.00000000037)

Abstract

This article discusses the development of the Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector, a massive British flamethrower that was used against German trenches in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Built underground within saps below No Man’s Land, this secret weapon was an attempt to use technology to break through German defences and reduce British casualties. The flame projector was the most effective flamethrower developed in WWI, but proved to be too inflexible and expensive to be used.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Flame Projector, flamethrower, the Somme, Underground War, William Livens
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Pollard, Professor Tony and Banks, Dr Iain
• Authors: Banks, I., and Pollard, T.
• Subjects: C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology; D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D501 World War I
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
• Research Group: Centre for Battlefield Archaeology TitleAbstract
• Journal Name: Journal of Conflict Archaeology
• Journal Abbr.: JCA
• Publisher: Maney Publishing
• ISSN: 1574-0773
• ISSN (Online): 1574-0781
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 W.S. Maney & Son Ltd
• First Published: First published in the Journal of Conflict Archaeology 9(3):119-155
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher