Secret Underground Telephone Booth 'C5' Soumagne

This is underground phone booth C5.

In itself, you would pass right by this. An ordinary street, with ordinary manhole covers.

However, this manhole cover is not the cover of a sewer, but of an underground phone booth. About 200 of these were constructed. In these cells, a soldier could connect with his field phone to one of the 34 telephone exchanges ( Centraux telefonique) after which one could be connected to one of the bunkers or forts within the network of the defense lines of the city of Liège, la Position Fortifiée de Liège.

All of these manhole covers bear the name of manufacturer Elkington. The manhole covers are numbered 1509. With a special key/ tool, the lid could be opened. In the case of this lid, that hole was closed later when the cell was no longer in use. See photo 5.

The cell is about 1.80 to 2.20 deep, and one could descend and connect his field phone by means of climbing brackets fixed in the wall.

How many remain?

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: Ed Lewandowski