Amongst the many miles of tunnels in Gibraltar, one small section has an intriguing history. During World War II, a secret chamber was excavated where around six men would have benn sealed off in the event of enemy forces occupying Gibraltar. Built under Operation Tracer, the room had lookouts to both east and west so the occupiers could continue to spy on enemy movements.
The room was cork floored to minimise noise and equipped with a water supply, rudimentary toilets and radio transmission facilioties. The space was rediscovered in the 1990s and was found to be amazingly intact. The lookout tothe west was just 1.5 cm wide but there was just room to squeeze through the aperture to the east. This led to a small ledge which would have provided an external viewing point and perhaps an emergency exit.
Although man-made, the space became known as the Stay Behind Cave; its services were never required.
