Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector

The Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector was a massive experimental flamethrower developed and deployed by the British Army during World War I, designed to project streams of burning fuel from underground positions to clear enemy trenches.^[1] Invented by William Howard Livens, an officer in the Royal Engineers motivated by German chemical warfare tactics in 1915, the weapon consisted of a 56-foot-long (17-meter) steel tube buried in shallow tunnels beneath no man's land, powered by compressed air to propel a mixture of kerosene and diesel oil up to 100-130 feet (30-40 meters).^[2]^[3] Only four units were constructed, each weighing approximately 2.5 tons and requiring a crew of seven to eight men for operation, with assembly involving around 300 personnel due to their cumbersome size.^[1]^[2] The projectors were capable of three 10-second bursts, expelling roughly 1,300 liters of ignited fuel per unit to create a wall of fire that terrorized and displaced entrenched German forces.^[2] They were first deployed on July 1, 1916, during the opening day of the Battle of the Somme near Mametz and Carnoy, where two successfully breached German lines with minimal British casualties in those sectors, though two others were destroyed by artillery fire beforehand.^[1]^[3] The weapon saw limited further use, with one additional deployment in 1917 during an offensive near Diksmuide, Belgium, and some units reportedly transferred to Russian forces, but its immobility and vulnerability to counter-battery fire restricted broader adoption in the static trench warfare of the Western Front.^[3]^[2] No complete examples survive today, though archaeological excavations, such as a 2010 dig at Montagne de Cappy in the Somme region, have uncovered remnants like valves and assembly tools, confirming their historical deployment based on period maps and diaries.^[3] The projector's brief but devastating role underscored the escalating horrors of industrialized warfare, contributing to the psychological impact of flame-based weapons in the conflict.^[2]

Development

Invention and Origins

William Howard Livens, a civil engineer by training, enlisted in the British Army's Royal Engineers in August 1914 shortly after the outbreak of World War I. By August 1915, he had been transferred to the newly formed Special Brigade, where he focused on developing innovative gas and flame weaponry to counter German chemical attacks. Livens' prior invention, the Livens Projector—a simple mortar designed to launch large drums of toxic or incendiary chemicals—emerged from his early work in 1915 as a response to the evolving nature of trench warfare, becoming operational in 1916.^[4] Livens' drive to innovate was profoundly shaped by the May 1915 sinking of the RMS Lusitania—which he initially believed had claimed the life of his fiancée (she survived)—instilling in him a fierce personal vendetta and motivating him to devise weapons capable of inflicting massive retaliation on German forces, with a stated goal of killing at least 1,100 enemy soldiers.^[4] The initial concept for what became the Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector took shape in December 1915 amid the growing trench stalemate on the Western Front, where static defenses frustrated conventional assaults and demanded novel means of breaching enemy lines. Envisioned as a fixed, underground flamethrower installed in tunnels advancing toward German positions, it evolved from Livens' experiments with smaller-scale flame devices, including inspiration from a demonstration of Vincent’s flame projector earlier that month, and drew further from the Germans' successful deployment of portable flamethrowers at Hooge in July 1915. This innovation aligned with broader British initiatives in chemical and flame warfare, including efforts by the Special Brigade's Z Company to integrate incendiary tactics into offensive operations.^[4] Key to the projector's design was Livens' adaptation of civilian oil-pumping technology for military purposes, enabling a powerful, sustained projection of ignited fuel from concealed positions. Recognizing the need for stealth and surprise, he opted for a "gallery" configuration—side chambers excavated off main tunnels known as Russian saps beneath no man's land—to house the device without obstructing infantry advances.^[4]

Testing and Production

The development of the Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector began with prototype testing in early 1916 at British proving grounds, including a demonstration at Hatfield Park, Hertfordshire, attended by Major-General Sir Charles Callwell in late 1916.^[4] These early trials revealed significant challenges in achieving reliable flame projection over sufficient distances, with initial tests producing jets exceeding 100 feet but scorching effects measured at 87-94 yards, falling short of ideal no-man's-land spans in some scenarios.^[4] Reliability issues also emerged, particularly with high fuel consumption—requiring 175 gallons of oil for a single 10-second burst—and the mechanical complexity of the pressurized system, which demanded precise calibration to avoid failures during operation.^[4] Production proceeded under strict secrecy in 1916, led by Captain William Howard Livens and specialized teams from Z Company of the Royal Engineers, in collaboration with Ruston, Proctor & Co Ltd, and funded by a modest £450 grant from the War Office.^[4] Although 34 units were commissioned, only four were ultimately built and delivered to the Western Front due to resource constraints and the project's experimental nature, with components sourced and transported covertly to maintain confidentiality.^[4] The manufacturing process emphasized underground installation compatibility, but initial field trials in forward saps highlighted stability problems, such as vulnerability to structural collapse from nearby artillery vibrations, necessitating reinforcements that complicated deployment.^[4] Crew training posed additional hurdles, requiring highly skilled Royal Engineers capable of handling the device's 2.5-ton mass and intricate assembly, which involved up to 200 men per unit for transport and setup in confined gallery spaces.^[4] These trials, conducted in early 1916, underscored the need for specialized instruction on fuel mixing, pressure management, and rapid emergency shutdowns to mitigate risks like backfires or leaks, ultimately limiting the weapon's scalability despite its innovative design.^[4]

Design and Operation

Physical Specifications

The Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector measured 56 feet (17 m) in length and had a diameter of 14 inches (36 cm), with a total weight of 2.5 long tons (2.5 tonnes).^[1]^[5] These dimensions allowed the device to be installed as a fixed underground apparatus, optimized for static deployment in trench warfare environments.^[2] The projector was constructed from steel piping, designed to withstand high-pressure fuel delivery while being segmented for transport and assembly in confined underground spaces.^[6] Installation involved burying the assembled piping within underground galleries or saps, often referred to as Russian saps, with the nozzle positioned to protrude through the earth toward enemy lines for targeted projection.^[7] This setup required extensive labor, typically involving around 300 men over several weeks to transport components in parts and complete the assembly underground.^[2]^[7] Specialized tunnelling units, such as the 183rd Tunnelling Company of the British Army, were responsible for excavating the necessary tunnels in no man's land to accommodate the projector's installation.^[7] Once in place, operation demanded a smaller crew of 7 to 8 trained personnel to manage the device effectively.^[1]^[7] This labor-intensive process underscored the projector's role as a secretive, large-scale engineering effort, originally conceived by Captain William Howard Livens during his work on chemical warfare innovations.^[2]

Fuel System and Firing Mechanism

The fuel system of the Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector relied on a mixture of diesel and kerosene, stored in underground tanks with a total capacity of approximately 1,300 liters for a complete deployment.^[2]^[1] This flammable liquid was supplied to the weapon's long steel pipe structure via underground conduits, ensuring safe and concealed delivery during preparation.^[2] The firing mechanism operated through compressed gas—typically air—serving as a piston within the main body of the device to force the fuel forward from the tanks toward the surface nozzle.^[1]^[2] Upon activation, the fuel was ejected and ignited at the nozzle, producing three sequential 10-second bursts of flame projected up to 100–130 feet (30–40 m) across no-man's-land.^[8] This short, intense operational profile was inherent to the design, limiting use to prevent barrel overheating while allowing unburnt fuel to pool in target trenches, where it would continue to ignite and burn structures.^[2]

Combat Deployment

Preparation and Secrecy Measures

The Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector was classified as a top-secret weapon by the British Army, with its development and deployment shrouded in strict confidentiality to maintain tactical surprise against German forces. Construction sites were concealed within underground saps in no man's land, ensuring that assembly activities remained hidden from enemy observation and even from most Allied commanders unfamiliar with the project until the moment of use.^[4] This secrecy extended to disinformation efforts, where routine mining operations were disguised as standard tunnelling work to mislead German intelligence about the true purpose of the excavations.^[9] Logistical preparations involved extensive underground digging by specialized tunnelling units, such as the 183rd Tunnelling Company of the Royal Engineers, which took weeks to excavate side galleries in Russian saps extending 50-60 meters toward German lines near Mametz. Assembly required transporting heavy components—totaling 2.5 tons per projector—via lorries and wagons on 28 June 1916, a process that demanded around 200 personnel from the Royal Engineers' Z Company and supporting infantry brigades. These efforts were highly vulnerable to disruption, as German shellfire during the pre-battle buildup damaged two of the four planned projectors; one sap entrance collapsed under bombardment, burying critical parts under 20 feet of debris and rendering the weapon inoperable.^[4]^[9] Specialized crews, consisting of seven trained Royal Engineers per projector, underwent covert instruction in handling the device's complex fuel and ignition systems, with training limited to a small cadre to preserve operational secrecy. These teams, drawn from Z Company, were briefed only on a need-to-know basis, and the project's existence was withheld from broader military leadership to prevent leaks. Support from infantry units, such as the 20th Infantry Brigade, facilitated assembly but was similarly compartmentalized, ensuring that the full scale of the weapon remained unknown until deployment.^[4]^[9]

Battle of the Somme

The Livens Large Gallery Flame Projectors saw their first combat deployment during the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916, with four units positioned in shallow tunnels known as saps near the villages of Mametz and Carnoy in northern France. Intended to support the British infantry assault by saturating German trench lines with flame, the projectors were emplaced secretly under no man's land as part of broader preparations that began in late June. However, two units—at saps 13 and 14 near Mametz—were rendered inoperable by German shellfire on June 28, leaving only the two at saps 7 and 10 near Carnoy functional. These operational projectors were fired at 7:20 a.m., shortly after the initial artillery barrage, each delivering three 10-second bursts of ignited fuel mixture toward the enemy positions to clear the way for advancing troops.^[4] The flames projected up to 30-40 meters, engulfing sections of the German trenches in fire and unburnt fuel that continued smoldering in the dugouts, amplifying the psychological terror among the defenders. This caused immediate panic, with British reports estimating around 40 German casualties in the targeted sector from the direct effects of the attack. The disorientation facilitated a local breakthrough for British forces at Carnoy, allowing relatively swift occupation of the affected trenches with minimal infantry losses in that area, despite the broader Somme offensive's heavy overall toll.^[4] Following the firing, the crews at Carnoy quickly disassembled the projectors and relocated the components to prevent capture by any German counterattack, while the damaged units at Mametz were abandoned or deliberately destroyed in place. Although the weapons contributed to tactical success in their limited sector, their single-use nature and vulnerability to preemptive shelling highlighted operational constraints, though they informed subsequent British engineering efforts on the Somme front.^[4]

Action at Diksmuide

In late 1917, during the Passchendaele offensive, a single Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector was deployed by British forces near Diksmuide, Belgium, on 26-27 October 1917, marking its only combat use following the Battle of the Somme.^[4] The installation required adaptations to the flooded and muddy terrain of the Ypres salient, where persistent rain had turned the battlefield into a quagmire, complicating the underground emplacement typical of the weapon's design. The projector was fired once against entrenched German positions, unleashing a massive wall of flame approximately 300 feet long that disrupted enemy lines and instilled terror among the defenders.^[3] However, the operation achieved only mixed results with minimal strategic impact.^[4] This action reaffirmed the projector's psychological effectiveness in demoralizing opponents but exposed severe logistical limitations in non-static, adverse conditions, such as the difficulty of transporting and maintaining the 2.5-ton device across waterlogged ground, ultimately curtailing its further deployment.^[3]

Post-War Legacy

Reasons for Abandonment

The Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector faced significant technical challenges that contributed to its discontinuation after limited use in 1917. Its design necessitated extensive underground preparation, including weeks of tunneling to position the 56-foot-long, 2.5-ton device in shallow saps beneath no man's land, a process that demanded up to 300 men for assembly and exposed the installation to detection and destruction by enemy artillery.^[4] For example, during preparations for the Battle of the Somme in 1916, one projector in Sap 13 was damaged by shellfire on 28 June, highlighting its vulnerability even before deployment.^[4] Additionally, the weapon's immobility made relocation impractical, as dismantling and repositioning the cumbersome structure was logistically prohibitive, confining its utility to static trench warfare scenarios.^[10] The fuel system further compounded these issues, requiring dangerous underground loading of 175 gallons of kerosene and diesel per burst, with an effective range of approximately 100 feet (30 meters) that limited its tactical reach.^[4] Strategic factors also played a key role in the projector's abandonment, as the evolving nature of the war rendered it obsolete. By 1918, the Western Front had transitioned toward mobile warfare with the widespread use of tanks and open maneuvers, diminishing the value of fixed-position weapons like the flame projector that could only deliver three 10-second bursts before depletion.^[4] The high resource demands, including substantial labor and fuel for minimal impact—such as approximately 40 German casualties at Carnoy during the Somme—outweighed its psychological terror effect, especially when compared to more versatile alternatives like the Livens gas projector.^[4] Its deployments at the Somme and Diksmuide in 1917 demonstrated these constraints, with mixed results that failed to justify broader investment amid shifting priorities.^[6] Official British Army assessments deemed the projector impractical for mass production, leading to its rapid phase-out. Despite initial enthusiasm and the completion of only five of 34 commissioned units, high command concluded its inflexibility and expense made it unsuitable for sustained operations, resulting in all installations being mothballed, dismantled, or destroyed by the war's end in 1918.^[6]^[4]

Archaeological Discoveries and Reconstructions

In May 2010, archaeologists from the University of Glasgow's Centre for Battlefield Archaeology, led by Tony Pollard and Iain Banks, discovered the remains of a Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector in Sap 14, a World War I tunnel at Montagne de Cappy near Mametz in the Somme region of France. The excavation, conducted with the assistance of Royal Engineers and students from Glasgow and Arras universities, uncovered key artifacts including a gate valve (part 271), a delivery head (part 280), a 1.37-meter extension pipe (part 166), monitor clamps (part 31), spanners (part 793), and various tools and clamps, confirming the weapon's underground installation and operational components. These finds, preserved in a collapsed incline due to shell damage from June 1916, provided the first physical evidence of the projector's deployment site. The discovery was featured in a 2011 Channel 4 Time Team special episode, which documented further exploration of the site and highlighted the artifacts' significance in understanding the weapon's secretive preparation for the Battle of the Somme. The recovered pipes and tools revealed details of the projector's piping system, though much of the structure remained buried under collapsed earth. An exhibition of the artifacts was held at the Historial de la Grande Guerre in Péronne, France, from June to December 2011, allowing public access to these rare relics. In conjunction with the excavation, Royal Engineers constructed a full-scale modern replica in 2011 using contemporary materials to test the projector's functionality, successfully demonstrating a 10-second burst of flame projected up to 300 feet. This reconstruction, based directly on the excavated components and historical diagrams, confirmed the weapon's design principles but highlighted challenges in replicating the original fuel delivery under wartime conditions. Despite these advances, uncertainties persist regarding the exact number of projectors produced, with historical records indicating between four and five units were delivered and deployed, though 34 were initially commissioned. Archaeological analysis of the remains has not yielded definitive evidence on the precise fuel mixtures used, leaving some operational details ambiguous. As of 2025, no major new discoveries or excavations of additional projectors have been reported, preserving the 2010 finds as the primary archaeological record.

Cultural Impact

Depictions in Media

The Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector has been portrayed in various media as a symbol of World War I's innovative yet terrifying weaponry, often emphasizing its secretive development and psychological impact on trench warfare. In film, it directly influenced the visual effects for the fire-breathing sequences of the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), where Wētā Digital's team simulated the projector's pressurized oil flame projection using physics-based rendering to achieve realistic, sweeping bursts of fire across the town of Lake-town.^[11] Documentaries have prominently featured the projector to highlight its historical obscurity and engineering ingenuity. The 2011 Time Team special episode "The Somme's Secret Weapon," aired on Channel 4, documented an archaeological excavation at Mametz on the Somme battlefield, uncovering remnants of the device and collaborating with the Royal Engineers on a partial reconstruction to demonstrate its operation.^[12] A 2020 YouTube documentary by Nerd World History provided an in-depth overview of the projector's design and deployment, using animations and historical footage to illustrate its role as a "secret weapon."^[13] More recently, the 2024 RealStories history documentary WWI's Secret Weapon: The Livens Flame Projector explored its tactical use and terror-inducing effects, incorporating expert interviews and reenactments to contextualize it within broader WWI flame weaponry.^[14] These portrayals frequently reference archaeological findings, such as the 2010 Montagne de Cappy dig, to inform accurate visual reconstructions.^[3] In literature, the projector receives brief but evocative mentions in World War I histories focused on experimental terror weapons. Video games depicting trench warfare have also incorporated the device to evoke its dread, notably in Battlefield 1 (2016), where a functional Livens Projector emplacement deploys gas barrages, representing a gas variant to simulate area-denial capabilities in multiplayer maps inspired by the Western Front.^[15]

Historical Assessments

Modern historians regard the Livens Large Gallery Flame Projector as a weapon of limited but notable tactical effectiveness during World War I, particularly in achieving localized breakthroughs. Deployed at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, it contributed to the rapid surrender of German positions in the targeted sector by projecting flames up to 30-40 meters, overwhelming defenders and clearing trenches without direct infantry assault. Scholars credit its success to the intense psychological terror it induced, as the sudden, massive firestorm demoralized enemies more effectively than conventional artillery in static trench environments. However, its static, underground emplacement rendered it inflexible for mobile warfare, restricting use to only four constructed units and preventing broader application despite initial promise.^[16] The projector's innovations in flame projection technology marked a significant step in British unconventional warfare experimentation. By scaling up flamethrower principles to industrial levels—using compressed oil and air for three 10-second bursts—it advanced the engineering of long-range fire delivery. This device exemplified the Royal Engineers' willingness to pursue radical solutions amid the Western Front's stalemate, prioritizing surprise and minimal risk to British troops through subterranean deployment. Its legacy underscores the trade-offs in WWI arms innovation: groundbreaking in concept but hampered by logistical constraints, it highlighted the challenges of integrating novel weapons into established doctrines.^[16] Post-2010 scholarship has increasingly examined the projector's secrecy, which profoundly shaped its historical documentation and potential impact. Articles in the Journal of Conflict Archaeology analyze how its classification as a top-secret weapon led to sparse wartime records, complicating post-war evaluations and archaeological recovery efforts. These assessments frame the projector as an emblem of untapped WWI ingenuity, where operational secrecy both protected and obscured its contributions to chemical and incendiary warfare evolution.^[16]