In the Picardy region, particularly around the Chemin des Dames near Soissons, the term “Creute” or “Bove” refers to the numerous cavities carved for centuries into the thick limestone layers of the region’s hills. Exploited since the Middle Ages, these cavities have experienced various golden ages. Initially, they were quarried for their stone, used in the construction of dwellings, monuments, or later as mushroom farms. During the First World War, many creutes served as shelters or cantonments for combatants. A complete interior layout was set up there by the various armies: dormitories, command posts, infirmaries, chapels, etc., sometimes accompanied by electrical and telephone installations. French, German, British, and American combatants left graffiti, sculptures, and bas-reliefs there. Subsequently, the creutes were reused, on a smaller scale, during the Second World War, where once again, soldiers left traces of their presence. Following these two wars and even today, a minority of operations have resumed or emerged to meet the growing demand for building stone or to produce mushrooms. Despite this, many traces left by the soldiers remain. This is why the term “Creute” is today mainly associated, in the collective mind, with the history of the military of the First World War. It refers to all the underground quarries along the “Chemin des Dames” that were occupied by the military during this tumultuous period.
