In 1915 the war around the village went underground, with mining and counter-mining.

On the plus side, the area had become relatively quiet, although there was a campaign of mining and counter-mining.

Mining had to be conducted under conditions, which concealed the effort from the opponents, to prevent counter-mining.

Using this principle of 'counter-mining' - the explosions from mortar rounds setting off the mines both above and below the water's edge, proved very successful.

They employed counter-mining, hunted the mine-layers and enlisted an ever-growing fleet of mine-sweepers.

Of the New Zealand tunnellers, 41 were killed and 151 were wounded by German counter-mining.

Counter-mining would be impossible given their shortage of powder; at best they might be able to break into the enemy mines and fight it out hand-to-hand.

During the Siege of Lucknow in 1857, Royal Engineers were asked to undertake counter-mining.

They also had no knowledge of counter-mining, and part of the wall near the Gate of the Hours collapsed on December 24.

Mining and counter-mining was constant, which kept trench garrisons under permanent strain, in fear of explosions which could occur anywhere without warning.

The local divisional commanders objected, due to their belief that counter-mining had neutralised the British underground threat and the inadequacy of the Warneton line.

Not only above ground, but also below was vigilance necessary, for mining and counter-mining was in progress on the right front at St. Yves before the 1st Canadian Division arrived.

From 17-21 December a French offensive managed to capture a small amount of ground to the south-west of the village and both sides returned to mining and counter-mining, which continued through 1915.

They sallied from the walls, ambushing the besieging troops and hindering Herod's attempts to raise ramparts, and fought Roman efforts to mine under the walls with counter-mining.

Late in the month the Ottomans began tunnelling around "Quinn's Post" in the Anzac sector and early in the morning of 29 May, despite Australian counter-mining, the Ottomans detonated a mine and attacked with a battalion from the 14th Regiment.

Despite his open protests and subterraneous counter-mining, war was actually declared against Sweden in 1675, and his subsequent policy seemed so obscure and hazardous to those who did not possess the clue to the perhaps purposely tangled skein, that the numerous enemies whom his arrogance and superciliousness had raised up against him, resolved to destroy him.

The countermining."

Some of this countermining was attributed to acceleration of the antenna fuze relay armature or seawater leaking into damaged mines rather than sympathetic detonation of explosives.

Already a swarm of laborers armed with picks and shovels were-presumably on someone's orders-descending into the lower vaults to begin the task of opening the floors there and getting the countermining under way.

A rich addition would be James's 1900 disclosure to the journalist Morton Fullerton that the "essential loneliness" of his life constituted his "deepest" aspect - deeper than my 'genius,' deeper than my 'discipline,' deeper than my pride, deeper, above all, than the deep countermining of art."