Two weeks to go and our trench diary begins !

Monday 24th June

Sarah Kennedy mentioned our Trench on her show this morning after Mr Fanning sent her an email.

Trench Update / News from the Front

Dear Sarah

Thank you to Alistair from Parcel Force who has offered has some safety helmets ! Peter from our Design Department has arranged to help pupils make some trench periscopes and Bonnie from the office, who is organising a sponsored 'knit-the-biggest-thing', will be getting pupils to knit soldiers comforts (she does not know this yet).

As a sign of our appreciation - you may know that trenches along the Western Front were given names - e.g.
Cable Trench, Cactus Trench, Caddle Trench, Caesar's Nose - so we have decided to name part of our trench in honour of you - Kennedy Corner - I know you will sleep well knowing that a deep muddy hole in a corner of England carries your name.

Tuesday 25th June

The sandbags have arrived - all 200 of them.

Alistair from Parcel Force was phoned to arrange delivery of 25 safety helmets.

Wednesday 26th June

Researched trench periscopes for Peter.

Thursday 27th June

A big thank you to Jenny our bursar who let us borrow notebooks that had been written by her great uncle who attended a trench building course in 1915 - it's amazing what's out there in people's attics.

Friday 28th June

All Quiet on the Western Front - not !

Dear Sarah

Apologies for the delay in updating you on the progress of the trench (Kennedy Corner). I have been fighting something of a rearguard action in school !

I received a protest this morning from pupils who are currently using the area designated for the trench as a football pitch - I listened carefully to what they had to say and then told them that their days are numbered - digging on Kennedy Corner officially begins on Tuesday, July 9th, come what may !

Can you reassure the dawn patroler who telephoned school from a construction company that we are not digging our way to France and that all safety precautions are in place (had he seen the height of some of the first years involved in the digging he would rest assured that depth is not an issue).

Looking to the future I did suggest to Miss Whitbread (Head of English and Media Studies) that Kennedy Corner opened up some interesting possibilities for future lessons - her department teaches first world war poetry so why not take classes out into the trench and recite Owen and Sassoon to them in the atmospheric surroundings of the trench. I await her response.

If any dawn patrolers have suggestions for the future use of Kennedy Corner I would be happy to hear from them.

In the meantime, we have adopted a new motto for the project - Onwards and Downwards.

Monday 1st July

20 safety helmets arrive from Parcel Force.

An order has been placed for sand.

Day visit to Dieppe.

Dear Sarah

Zut alors ! The ferry crossing was cancelled due to bad weather - so no day visit to France for myself or the pupils.

A number of staff have been listening to you each morning and can I just say that some of them are taking this whole trench business just a bit too seriously.

Mr Murray, Head of Science, has offered ro recreate some explosions for us in and around the trench. I don't have the heart to say NO so could you please let him down gently for me.

Tuesday 2nd July

2 emails arrived in school.

I found your website while looking for the Chattri at Patcham. My late father Walter Wares used to tell me how he would visit the Indian soldiers at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton when he was a boy. This was in the 1914 - 18 war. He felt sorry for them as he watched them baking their chapattis (wrapped around their rifle-barrels) over their fires. Since then I have heard more about your WW1 project at school via Sarah Kennedy on Radio 2 and wish you all every success with your trench. I'm now a grandmother and living in Staffordshire, but still have my Sussex roots.

And also :

Hi guys!

Best idea I've heard in ages! I was one of the volunteers in the BBC series. 'The Trench' and now work with one of the other volunteers at a screen printers here in sunny old Hull. We talk everyday (at some point or other!) about our times in France and when we will one day return to see our TRENCH. I will add your site to my list of favourites and return frequently to see how you are getting on. Should you have any questions about Trench construction, drop me a line and I will try and help you as much as I can. I would also like to pass on my regards to the people (teachers I presume) who helped you in your attemps to get this project going!

Best Regards

Craig Wright (2001 Volunteer)

Wednesday 3rd July

The first meeting of the group that is taking part in the Trench Experience.

Had a few email replies.

Hi Mr Fanning

I am so much looking forward to getting involved whith the trench dig. We have checked out the website and it is looking good. My granparents have been listening to Radio 2 and they won't stop talking about it. Ilike the design of the trench and can't wait to get STUCK IN. From your pupil Kristian <spike> 7RPL.

Hi,

Yeah! I don't mind some of the pupils emailing me. Although the replies may not be as prompt as this one, as I will have to answer them on my dinner hour along with my trench pal 'Steve Spivey'. The French Trench isn't really that far off the beaten track, near the village of Flesquieres. (Nr. Cambrai - as in the WW1 Tank Battle, battlefield maps would give precise location).

Thursday 4th July

Plan to lay out the line of the trench tomorrow pm.

Mr Childs has offered to supply a pick axe.

Refreshments purchased from Sainsburys.

Safety gloves purchased from B&Q.

Mr Rix has digitised a selection of pages from the notebook of Eric Coventry and they have been uploaded to the site (see Planning section).

Mrs Parsons has agreed to record the progress of the trench using a digital camera.

Monday 8th July

D Day or 'Dig' Day has arrived.

Visited Newhaven Fort to examine their trench. Got presented with trench tools by Simon the Fort manager. Our visit was filmed by Meridian TV.

Tuesday 8th July

Sent a message to Craig from the BBC volunteers :

> From: TheSomme@aol.com
> Sent: Monday, July 8, 2002 15:47 PM
> Subject: A question from Tideway
>
> Hello Craig
>
> Pupils visited Newhaven Fort today (Monday) - there is a reconstructed
> trench there.
>
> Pupils wanted to know if you had visited any museums (or did the BBC
> arrange for you to do this) to prepare you for your time in the trench ?
>
> Jim Fanning
> Tideway
>
------------------

Hi Jim (and pupils!)

Nope! We never visited any museums as such, although we did under go 2 weeks
intensive training at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire. Initially 50 of
us were chosen to take part in 3 days training with the regular 'modern day'
army. This involved cross country map reading tasks, weapon and shooting
training, assault courses and the like. It was a fantastic 3 days and the
regular army are were a brilliant lot (you could have a good laugh with them
and because we were 'civvies' didn't get a lot of the unpleasantness like
new army recruits do - aka Lads Army style). Most of us were hoping to be
picked to go onto the full training for the programme.

The morning we found out who were and who weren't going was a very
different story. After me and Steve were 'lucky' enough to be picked, things
immediately changed. No sooner had the bus (full of the 25 that never made
it) left, the '1914' training began. A corporal (who looked as if he'd just
stepped out of a time warp) and a Sargent Major marched around the corner
much to our surprise. We were literally thrown into army training 1914
style. May I point out that I believe the true brains behind the outfit was
the Sargent 'Taff Gillingham' of the Khaki Chums - damn nice bloke and very
knowledgeable!

We were drilled for hours, then drilled again with a bit more drilling
for good measure. We learnt everything from Lewis gun firing and maintenance
to how to wash in 1/2 a pint of water (quite an art when you concider you
had to wash, shave and brush your teeth - every morning with so little!) We
learnt how to throw grenades (properly), clean our rifles, how to wear our
uniforms (including puttee tying), we learnt how to take a crater before the
enemy did and correct advancement over no-mans land), the art of preparing
your webbing (many different battle orders etc.), how to use our bayonets,
we also had lectures nearly every night for at least 2 hours on the history
of the army and WW1 after we'd done our full days training. Oh and we were
drilled some more! Everything we did for 2 weeks was taken from actual 1914
drill books. Everything a 1914 soldier learnt in 30 weeks - we did in 2.
Obviously condensed but taught and learned with as much enthusiasm.

After probably the first week the only thing that reminded you that you
were living in 2001 was seeing the other 'regular' army recruits around
Catterick. It became that real.

On reaching France we were supposed to be going practically straight into
the Trench. The Sargent decided it would be a good idea for us to go to the
Thiepval memorial (unbeknown to us). The mood was quite lively on our way
there, laughing and joking etc. Once we got there things were very
different. We marched down to the memorial and Capt. Euel performed a short
service and laid a wreath. By this time a few coaches of battlefield tours
had arrived. We presented arms, and the last post was played on the bugle.
It was so moving, more that anything I have ever done before. We then fell
out, and looked around the memorial. It was then that it hit us all. We (24
lads from Hull) were protraying to England the lives of millions of
remembered and forgotten soldiers. Almost instantly the attitudes changed.
We had a job to do. Thats why the programme doesn't really show any argueing
or name calling... because what we had gone through in the last 2 weeks had
prepared us in the best possible way for what was to come. The military
advisors did a fantastic job training us and it wasn't until that point that
we realised it.

That was what prepared us for the Trench. The BBC decided not to show
this training but all the volunteers believe that if they had shown it, the
programme would probably have been a lot better!

We did however visit the Imperial War Museum shortly before the
launch of 'the Trench' for the official do. You
probably already know but they've put a free display on about 'The
Trench' and when we saw it couldn't believe
how close it was to the real thing. Well wort a look!

Anyway! Sorry I started to ramble... hope this answers your question
and the digging is going well!

Best Regards

Pte. Craig Wright & Pte. Steve Spivey (A.W.O.L in Torquay!) 2001
Volunteers

The DIG has begun.

This is what pupils had to say about it :

From Lee, Nikita, Rory, Fern and Laura. YEAR 9 pupils.

THE DRENCHED TRENCH

The trench project was abandoned at lunchtime today due to wind and rain that swept across the school grounds.

It is now the second day of the project and only a small amount of ground has been dug so far.

We must ask ourselves whether we have a chance of finishing this task !

Will it stay as an idea forever ?

Or will Tideway School battle against the odds and complete this radical project ?

Only time will tell.

End of Day 2

Late News - the group got interviewed by BBC Radio and had their photographs taken by the Sussex Express.

Tuesday 8th July

Received the following email :

Hello Trenchies!
The website is wonderful and the work in progress looks great. It is a shame that the weather has slowed you down, but I am sure that you will achieve a huge amount during the week. Sounds like you are becoming quite famous too! Thought you might like to share this poem by Richard Aldington with the rest of the group:

Trench Idyll
We sat together in the trench,
He on a lump of frozen earth
Blown in the night before,
I on an unexploded shell;
And smoked and talked, like exiles,
Of how pleasant London was,
Its women, restaurants, night clubs, theatres,
How at that very hour
The taxi-cabs were taking folk to dine...
Then we sat silent for a while
As a machine-gun swept the parapet.

He said:
'I've been here on and off two years
And seen only one man killed.'

'That's odd.'

'The bullet hit him in the throat;
he fell in a heap on the fire-step,
And called out 'My God! dead!'

'Good Lord, how terrible!'

'Well, as to that, the nastiest job I've had
Waslast year on this very front
Taking the discs at night from men
Who'd hung for six months on the wire
Just over there.
The worst of all was
They fell to pieces at a touch.
Thank God we couldn't seetheir faces;
They had gas helmets on...'

I shivered;
'It's rather cold here, sir, suppose we move?'

Keep up the good work. From Ms. Christodoulou

Wednesday 9th July

Blue skies at last !

More sand delivered.

Meridian TV filmed the dig.

More replies from Craig Wright to our emails can be found on the Message Board for this site.

Thursday 10th July

12.30pm the dig officially ended and the Trench is complete.

Tom left the following message on the website Message Board :

I enjoyed digging the trench and it was a great experience,
apart from getting hit round the head by a shovel with an over
enthusiastic year 7 on the other end of it.

We also received the following emails :

I'm Taff Gillingham - historical adviser for "The Trench" and the Hull
Pal's Platoon Sergeant!

Craig Wright of the Pals just forwarded an email to me about your Trench
project which I think is great.

I have been following bits of progress with Radio 2's Sarah Kennedy in the
mornings too and I'm glad to hear that you are making headway.

I am also the CiC of The Khaki Chums who trained the Pals and provided the
Officers, NCOs and support troops for "The Trench" (there was always at
least 50 men living in the trench system at any one time!). I also run
Khaki Devil Limited, the company which provided all the uniforms and
equipment for the project too - everything from tin hats to 1915
toothbrushes, from copies of the original corned beef tin labels to trench
stores.

Part of the Khaki Chums main remit is education and if we can be of help in
any capacity please do feel free to ask.

Your pupil's question about the rain made me think back - not so much to
our time at Flesquieres which was comparatively 'comfortable', but to the
Chums 1999 Christmas trip to commemorate the 1914 Christmas Truce. Here is
the url of my account of that waterlogged week which may interest you:

http://www.hellfire-corner.demon.co.uk/chums.htm

Keep up the good work!

With best wishes,

Taff Gillingham (Chief Chum)

We also received emails from Craig Wright :

Hiya Ben!

Entrenching tools! We used proper spades (1914 issue of course!)
when digging or repairing the Trench,
although we did use our entrenching tool when we had to dig a 'Sap'
out to The Bantams (Palmer & Tomo)
when they rushed that crater! Entrenching tools also came in very
useful whilst out in no-mans land on work
parties with them being smaller and more compact that a dirty great
spade. Our equipment stood up very well to the
abuse we all gave it whilst in France. I think the only problems I
had with kit was the strap on my helmet (i've got a
big head!), oh! and my mess tin that leaked so fast I swear it
created a vortex as the water ran out! I had to get
washed very quickly! Darren Womack (Batt. Man) has just informed me
that his belt buckle snapped and was
forced to keep his webbing together with a length of string!

I think you'll find that all the lads had a problem with a certain
piece of kit. Due to the Bromide that they put in the
tea (oh! yeah - no corners cut on our production!). Bring this up in
class with the teacher for an amusing (but scary)
debate!

Hope this answers you question Ben!

Keep digging, Craig Wright (2001 volunteer)