The 'iron harvest' in Flanders' Fields. A farmers' perspective

Gateways Event

Thursday 02 November 2017, 18:00 - 19:30

Part of the First World War Seminar Series 2017-18

Men making a path through landmines in Antwerp, Belgium © IWM (A 26553)

Darwin Lecture Theatre 1, University of Kent, Canterbury campus

Free and open to all

World War I left Flanders’ Fields littered with duds threatening the local population even today.

A classic rule of thumb is that one in three shells did not function resulting in an estimate of 300 million projectiles left in the ground after the Great War ended.

Ever since 1919 the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group, being the sole actor mandated to dispose of explosives, has been ‘harvesting’ this so-called ‘Iron Harvest’.

As a result of the experience gained by its operators and the continuous evolution of the technologies used process, the unit at ‘Poelkapelle site’ acts as a benchmark for countries struggling with the same threat.