#worldwar1 #worldwarone #ww1 #britishww1 #history #trench
A military historian and former history teacher Andrew Robertshaw has built a 60ft WWI trench in his back garden to reflect on life as a British soldier of the Great War.
The project initially involved shifting hundreds of tonnes of earth from the garden to create the 60ft trench which features a kitchen, infantry room, and officers' dugout, complete with barbed wire and sandbags with the aid of help from volunteers and soldiers of the 23 Pioneer Regiment Royal Logistics Corp who had recently returned from Afghanistan. The aim of building the trench was to gain a real appreciation of what daily life was like in the trenches beyond the well-documented military assaults and gas attacks. The trench was based on an original trench map but also had to take into account the geology and topography constraints of the land and this resulted in a reconstruction of an original system built by British soldiers near Hooge. The characteristics are typically British and Andrew has strived to ensure it is authentic and will give people a real insight into the claustrophobic and harsh conditions of trench living.
Once the trench was constructed he conducted a 24-hour experiment where 10 men lived in the trench, a combination of archaeologists and re-enactors, wearing authentic uniforms, eating only rations of the period, complete with gas masks and rifles that fire blanks and since then numerous visitors have come to get a sense of the horrors of living in essentially a hole in the ground.
However being located in a semi-rural area not far from a major airport, one might wonder what the neighbours thought of this project and ongoing activities.
Since building the dugout last summer Andrew has sold his Surrey house and moved, but has retained ownership of the land containing the trench to continue his endeavours.
Even in the comfort of daylight, just moving around in the narrow trench in muddy and sometimes waterlogged conditions was challenging, and wearing period clothing gives an added sense of appreciation.
But between 1914 and 1918 the horrors of living in a trench were a daily reality dealing with sleep deprivation, the elements, confined space, and tedium of maintaining the trench as well as the dangers of the conflict itself. With a focus on Remembrance Day, it is particularly poignant to reflect on what British troops endured during this period of history.
Andrew Robertshaw is a military historian and author of a number of historical war books. A former teacher, he is now the curator of the Royal Logistics Corps Museum in Deepcut, Surrey. He was also a chief historical consultant on Steven Spielberg’s War Horse film, giving advice on issues such as props, costume, armory and badges. As well as publishing a book about the venture he intends to launch a website through which school children can virtually explore the dugout as an educational resource based on photographs and film taken during his project.
Andrew Robertshaw is a British military historian, curator, author and educator who specialises in the history of the First World War.
Andy was lead historical consultant for Spielberg’s film adaptation of War Horse and a historical advisor on the 2017 film Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. More recently he has been working on Sam Mendes’ Great War film, “1917“. He is a regular consultant and on-screen expert for a host of TV and radio shows, including Time Team, The Trench Detectives and Who Do You Think You Are?
He has spearheaded numerous archaeological investigations along the Western Front.
He is an Honorary Lecturer at University College London and regularly acts as a consultant for the British Army on historical matters. He has also served as a Forensic Trauma specialist for the Norwegian Army. He regularly lectures in North America and Canada. He has also worked for the Advisory Board of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.