The 2010 film 'Beneath Hill 60' tells the true story of a group of soldiers from the 1st Australian Tunnellers led by Captain Oliver Woodward CMG MC and 2 bars. In the film, Woodward is portrayed by Brendan Cowell. He was a miner and metallurgist from New South Wales and had not joined up as numerous other men from the area had done. He was seen to be needed to stay home to help the war effort and as a result, he had been sent a number of white feathers. It was typical at the time for people to give white feathers to those who they believed to be cowards.
Hill 60 can be found in the southern section of the Ypres Salient and it was not a natural feature. The hill is made with soil dug away to produce a local railway cutting. A handful of serious battles occurred at Hill 60 during both World War I and World War II. During one evening in 1915, four Victoria Crosses were granted as a German offensive was effectively fought off.
The motion picture highlights the events at the beginning of the Battle of Messines in 1917. 19 mines with about 500,000 kgs of explosives were set off before the launch of the assault. The storyline centres around the actions of Woodward and his soldiers showcasing precisely what the tunneller companies needed to put up with, an element of war that gets very little coverage.
Woodward is given command of a company and sets an example all through the build-up ahead of the assault around Ypres. The attack starts out in the early hours of the morning when Woodward sets off the mine his soldiers have spent the previous weeks putting in place and defending.
Immediately following the war, Woodward goes back to Australia to get married to his young girlfriend who had pleaded with him never to join the army.
'Beneath Hill 60' is superb film which conveys the story of undoubtedly one of the most horrifying parts of the Western Front. The tunnellers on both sides had to operate in horrendous conditions understanding the enemy may perhaps be merely metres away preparing to either explode their tunnel or break in and begin shooting.
Hill 60 can be found in the southern section of the Ypres Salient and it was not a natural feature. The hill is made with soil dug away to produce a local railway cutting. A handful of serious battles occurred at Hill 60 during both World War I and World War II. During one evening in 1915, four Victoria Crosses were granted as a German offensive was effectively fought off.
The motion picture highlights the events at the beginning of the Battle of Messines in 1917. 19 mines with about 500,000 kgs of explosives were set off before the launch of the assault. The storyline centres around the actions of Woodward and his soldiers showcasing precisely what the tunneller companies needed to put up with, an element of war that gets very little coverage.
Woodward is given command of a company and sets an example all through the build-up ahead of the assault around Ypres. The attack starts out in the early hours of the morning when Woodward sets off the mine his soldiers have spent the previous weeks putting in place and defending.
Immediately following the war, Woodward goes back to Australia to get married to his young girlfriend who had pleaded with him never to join the army.
'Beneath Hill 60' is superb film which conveys the story of undoubtedly one of the most horrifying parts of the Western Front. The tunnellers on both sides had to operate in horrendous conditions understanding the enemy may perhaps be merely metres away preparing to either explode their tunnel or break in and begin shooting.
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The battles on the Western Front during World War I were terrible and the region around Ypres witnessed some of the worst action.. This article, Article on the Movie 'Beneath Hill 60' is released under a creative commons attribution license.
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