Miner's lamp

Type of safety lamp invented by Sir Humphrey Davy in the early nineteenth century for coal miners. Thin metal gauze allows air to reach the flame while preventing it from igniting any flammable gas in the surrounding atmosphere. Tunnelling was used to place large quantities of explosive under the enemy's front line.These mines would be fired at the start of an attack. Before the battle of Messines in June 1917, nineteen mines were laid as deep as thirty metres by British Royal Engineers. Two of the charges failed and are still buried there.