24hr Trench A Day in the Life of a Frontline Tommy

The trench was the frontline Tommy’s home. He lived, ate, slept, and sometimes died in this narrow passage amongst the slime of mud and blood on the Western Front. His washbasin was a mess-tin, his cooker – a small fire built into the wall, his entertainment – his friends, his fear – the man living in the trench on the other side of No Man’s Land. Over 6 million men died whilst serving in the trenches – how did they live in them? For the first time, World War I historian Andrew Robertshaw and a group of soldiers, archaeologists and historians use official manuals and diaries to build a real trench system and live in it for 24 hours, recreating the frontline Tommy’s daily existence, answering the questions: How do you build a trench quietly? How clean can you really get in a trench? How easy is it to sleep? How do you keep yourself entertained? How to do you stay alive and kill the enemy? And many more…Hour-by-hour, the Tommy’s day unfolds through stunning colour photographs in this ground-breaking experiment in Great War history.

Andy Robertshaw was lead historical consultant for Spielberg's War Horse and briefly acted in the film as an officer. He is a museum curator, military historian, battlefield guide, Great War expert for the Army and the BBC, author, and broadcaster.