The POW Tunnel: Symbol of Desperate Hope and Claustrophobic Terror in In Memoriam

What Is the POW Tunnel?

In Alice Winn’s 2023 novel In Memoriam, the prisoner-of-war tunnel is a secret escape route dug by British officers held in a German camp. Henry Gaunt joins the tunnelling project after discovering a poem by Sidney Ellwood that suggests Ellwood believes Gaunt is dead. The tunnel is dug from the basement of the camp, passing deep beneath the moat, using improvised tools like spoons, cups, and a bellows made from a leather jacket and tin cans. It represents both the prisoners’ burning desire for freedom and the crushing confinement of war.

Where and How It Recurs

The tunnel first appears in chapter twenty, when Gideon Devi leads Gaunt to the secret basement. Gaunt immediately volunteers to dig, despite his partially healed lung wound. Over several chapters, the tunnel becomes the central project for Gaunt, Devi, Archie Pritchard, MacCorkindale, and Nicholson. The men work in shifts, crawling on their backs through a narrow, pitch-black passage, pulling out earth in an enamel basin tied to a rope. The tunnel reappears in chapter twenty-one, where the prisoners practise their escape route and prepare supplies. Its climax comes in chapter twenty-three, when the tunnel collapses during the escape attempt. Water floods in from the moat, trapping Devi. Gaunt crawls in to rescue him, risking his own life. The collapse ends the tunnelling project and leads to the prisoners’ capture and solitary confinement.

Shifting Meanings: From Escape to Sacrifice

The tunnel’s meaning changes as the story progresses. Early on, it symbolises hope and agency — a way for prisoners to fight back against captivity. Gaunt sees it as the fastest route back to Ellwood and the Western Front. The tunnel becomes a shared mission that binds the escape party together. In chapter twenty-one, Gaunt works the bellows so hard his chest aches, but he welcomes the pain as a sign of progress.

When the tunnel collapses, its meaning shifts to danger and fragility. The passage that was meant to free them now threatens to drown them. Gaunt’s decision to crawl into the flooded tunnel transforms the symbol again: it becomes a site of self-sacrifice and loyalty. He risks his life not for escape but for a friend. The tunnel no longer represents flight from the war; it represents the bonds that make the war bearable. After the collapse, the tunnel is abandoned, but its legacy continues in the men’s strengthened friendship and their later successful escape by train.

Character Connections

Henry Gaunt

Gaunt is the emotional centre of the tunnelling plot. He joins not because he believes the tunnel will work, but because reading Ellwood’s poem convinces him Ellwood thinks he is dead. The tunnel becomes a physical expression of his love and guilt. His damaged lung makes the cramped, low‑oxygen tunnel especially dangerous, but he insists on digging. When the tunnel floods, he does not hesitate to rescue Devi. His actions show how the tunnel forces him to confront his own fear and his capacity for bravery — not for himself, but for others.

Gideon Devi

Devi is the architect of the escape. He recruits Gaunt and keeps morale high with his humour. The tunnel collapse nearly kills him, and Gaunt’s rescue deepens their friendship. In chapter twenty-five, Devi jokes that Ellwood was jealous of him, underscoring the emotional triangle. For Devi, the tunnel represents a chance to return to flying — the freedom he craves.

Archie Pritchard

Pritchard is a steady presence in the tunnelling group. He pulls Gaunt and Devi out when the tunnel collapses, showing his reliability. His sleepwalking (standing imaginary fire steps) connects the tunnel to the front‑line trauma he cannot escape.

MacCorkindale and Nicholson

These minor characters provide technical skill (bellows) and comic relief. Their presence shows the collaborative nature of the escape, highlighting how the tunnel symbolises collective resistance.

Theme Connections

Escape and Survival

The tunnel is the most literal expression of this theme. It is a physical attempt to break out of captivity. Yet the novel suggests that true escape is psychological. Even after the tunnel fails, the men find other ways to survive — through friendship, memory, and poetry.

Psychological Trauma and Shell Shock

The tunnel amplifies claustrophobic terror. Gaunt’s panic when first entering the tunnel mirrors his war trauma. The darkness, lack of air, and constant danger evoke the trenches. After the collapse, the men’s nightmares and sleepwalking show how the tunnel, meant for liberation, becomes a new source of trauma.

Masculinity and Vulnerability

Tunnelling requires men to be vulnerable — lying on their backs, unable to move their arms, dependent on others. This challenges the ideal of stoic masculinity. Gaunt admits fear but presses on, redefining bravery as vulnerability for others.

Forbidden Homosexual Love in Wartime

The tunnel is indirectly connected to Gaunt’s love for Ellwood. Gaunt joins because of Ellwood’s poem; his thoughts of Ellwood spur him on while digging. The tunnel’s dark, intimate space also echoes the hidden, closeted nature of their love — secret, dangerous, and requiring trust.

Memory and Poetry as Consolation

Ellwood’s poem In Memoriam H.W.G. is the catalyst for Gaunt’s tunnelling. Poetry becomes a thread linking the tunnel plot to the novel’s title. The tunnel itself is a kind of buried memory — dug from below, hidden, and eventually lost, but not forgotten.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Gaunt decide to join the tunnelling project?
Gaunt reads Ellwood’s poem “In Memoriam H.W.G.” in The New Statesman and realises Ellwood believes he is dead. The poem’s rage and grief drive Gaunt to escape as fast as possible, both to reunite with Ellwood and to give his friend hope. Gaunt tells Pritchard, “He thinks I’m dead! I can’t hang about waiting for peace to break out.” The tunnel becomes his way back to the living.

2. How does the tunnel’s collapse change its symbolic meaning?
Initially the tunnel represents hope and agency. After the collapse, it becomes a symbol of danger, fragility, and self‑sacrifice. Gaunt’s rescue of Devi shifts the tunnel from a means of escape to a site of loyalty. The failure also reinforces the theme that freedom is not simply physical – the men later escape by train, but the tunnel’s collapse teaches them to rely on one another.

3. In what ways does the tunnel connect to the theme of masculinity?
The tunnel requires men to work in a helpless, fetal position, surrendering control. Gaunt admits fear but continues. Pritchard’s sleepwalking (standing imaginary guard) and his pulling Gaunt out of the water show that vulnerability and interdependence are forms of strength. The novel redefines masculine bravery as the willingness to be weak for others.

4. How does the tunnel relate to Gaunt and Ellwood’s relationship?
The tunnel is Gaunt’s physical response to Ellwood’s poem. While digging, Gaunt recalls Ellwood asking, “I know you’re fine, but are you all right?” This line echoes in his mind, making the tunnel a space where his love and guilt are concretised. The tunnel’s darkness and secrecy mirror the hidden nature of their homosexual desire. Although Ellwood is not present in the prison camp, the tunnel keeps Gaunt connected to him.