Nestled in the south-eastern part of Gibraltar on the Mediterranean coast are a set of World War II tunnels that were home to a hospital, bakery, power station and even a telephone exchange. Under the Rock of Gibraltar is a whole other world, dating back to World War II. The Royal Engineers and Canadian Army built the set of tunnels to provide a base for soldiers and store supplies during the war. They are named after streets in English towns to help soldiers navigate.
The network was large enough to house the entire 16,000-strong garrison in Gibraltar, along with enough food to last them for 16 months. The underground tunnel network was also home to a telephone exchange, a power generating station, a water distillation plant, a hospital, a bakery, ammunition magazines and a vehicle maintenance workshop.
In total, the tunnel network inside the Rock stretched approximately 34 miles long. Many of the tunnels constructed were large enough to accommodate vehicles. For example, the communication tunnels were originally 2.1 metres by 2.1 metres, before later being expanded to 2.4 metres by 2.4 metres.
The main tunnels were dug out to a cross-section of 4.6 metres by 4.6 metres for through traffic routes, with a passing place for vehicles every 91 metres. Despite being large, the conditions were often unpleasant for those within the tunnels. Temperatures would tend to stay between 16C and 18C, but the humidity would rise up to 98 per cent, which caused condensation and damp throughout the network.
