Could You Survive 24 Hours in a WW1 Trench?

Could you survive 24 hours in the WW1 trenches? In this episode of Survive History, presenter Louee Dessent experiences what life was really like for a British infantry soldier on the Western Front in 1917.
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Dropped into a reconstructed First World War trench system at the Centre for Experimental Military Archaeology, Louee must survive a full day and night following the routines of a British Tommy: crossing dangerous ground to reach the front line, standing sentry while enemy rifles crack across No Man’s Land, digging and repairing trenches under cover of darkness, eating the same rations soldiers relied on during the war, and attempting to sleep while surrounded by mud, rats and artillery.

Working alongside the Warwicks 14-18 Living History Group and Sturmbataillon 10, and using authentic equipment, this immersive experiment explores the real experiences recorded in wartime letters and diaries. From using basic trench latrines to enduring long hours on watch, the episode reveals the exhausting routine that millions of soldiers endured on the Western Front.

This documentary combines hands-on historical reconstruction with primary source accounts to recreate the daily reality of trench warfare.

What did soldiers carry into the trenches?
What did they eat on the front line?
How did they sleep under constant threat of attack?

And could you really survive 24 hours in the trenches of the First World War?
Watch to find out.

Thank you to Andy Robertshaw and the brilliant Centre for Experimental Military Archaeology for hosting this episode: https://www.cemahistory.org/

And thank you to the fantastic living history groups who took part
The Warwicks 14-18 living history group 👉 https://www.thewarwicks1418.com/history.html
Sturmbataillon 10 👉https://www.instagram.com/sturm_bataillon_10_/
Richard Townsley 👉https://richard-townsley.com/

#ww1 #trenches #survivehistory

00:00 Introduction
04:01 Entering the trenches
07:23 Defending the trench
10:26 Going to the toilet in the trenches
11:57 British soldier weapons and equipment
19:26 Sentry duty in the trench
22:12 WW1 rations
25:16 Rats in the trenches
26:52 Stand to in the trench
28:52 The Germans launch a gas attack
31:31 Night duties in the trench
37:27 Morning routine in the trench
44:17 Medical inspection
46:16 Could you survive in a ww1 trench?