- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press (11 Mar 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0593049756
- ISBN-13: 978-0593049754
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 15.7 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 523,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
The TV series The Trench, in which a group of early 21st century volunteers spent time living in as exact a reconstruction of the conditions of a First World War front-line trench as possible, attracted much criticism. Critics were quick to point out that such an essentially defining condition as fear of death and terrible injury was bound to be absent. The series was condemned by some as tasteless playacting. The book taken from the series faces these accusations and makes a strong argument for the case that the "playacting" does reveal historical realities that other types of research can't. Early in the book, Richard Van Emden confesses how puzzled he was by a First World War photo of British soldiers, in full view of heavily armed Germans, jog-walking back to their own lines. Why were they not running as fast as they could? Dress a modern day volunteer in the full battle order of a Great War soldier and the answer becomes immediately clear. However strong one's desire to run, the equipment was simply too heavy and cumbersome to allow more than a jog. This is the kind of telling detail that reconstruction can illustrate more effectively than any written record and there are other examples in Van Emden's book.
However, the book is much more than the story of the making of the TV series. It provides a wide-ranging picture of life in the First World War trenches for the ordinary soldier. The routine tasks that occupied the men in the long stretches when they were not required to go over the top or fight the enemy. How they combated the mud, rats and lice that conspired to make their lives a misery even when they were not in immediate danger. How they ate and how they slept--poorly, in both cases. How they dealt with gas attacks and shelling of their trenches. The most extraordinary voices in this book are not those of Van Emden and his crew or the 2001 volunteers who manned the TV trenches. They are those of the four veterans that Van Emden quotes extensively. From the perspective of great old age--all four are 103 or 104--they recount their memories in vivid and moving detail. In the final analysis, their contributions are what make this book a valuable addition to the vast library of books on the First World War and not the much-criticised premise on which TV series and book were built. --Nick Rennison
Good Book Guide
'A serious investigation into what life was really like in this subterranean world ... a fascinating book'
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Too many people know too little about how 5 million British men lived and fought in and around the Western Front 1914-1918. Few Great War infantryman would recognise their war if they read some of the nonsense people believe about trench life. This book will set the record straight, and is best read as an accompaniament to the BBC's three-part series of the same name.'The Trench' is a thoroughly researched and thoughful book that has been written with great care and attention to detail. A source of controversy before it had even reached our screens in the spring of 2002, the series sought to take a carefully selected group of volunteers from Hull to experience life in the front line of the Western Front, just as their forebears in the Hull Pals regiment had done in 1916. This book shows that the criticisms levelled against the programme as a 'Big Brother in the Trenches' falls very wide of the mark. With the help of a handful of remaining veterans, the producers wanted to see how men survived the day to day tasks of survival in a front-line trench system: it contains great detail not only about the daily routines, but of the Hull Pals battalion and the men remembered in the programme. It is a work steeped in a strong desire to respect and honour the sacrifices made by those who fought in the war. Indeed, anyone who is interested in the daily life of an average infantryman will be fascinated by 'The Trench.' This book goes a long way to dispel the myths about the infantry constantly being in the line without rest, permanently under fire from the enemy. This is simply not the case as 'The Trench' showed that infantry battalions would be rotated regularly between the front line, communication lines, and rest, recreation and fatigues behind the lines. 'The Trench' shows that for the majority of the time life in the infantry was actually quite dull, but the book remains an interesting and (sometimes humourous) read throughout. Punctuated with testimonies from remarkably sharp-witted veterans (average age 105) this is a must-read for anyone who wants to read about the admiration and commemoration of the spirit of comradeship and humour that helped Britain towards victory in 1918.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having watched the BBC2 The Trench programme, I just had to buy the book.the book gives you a major insight in to the every day life within the front line during the 1st world war.
with the vetriens testimony and the tv volunteers
of trench life,brings home the reader how ordinary people became soldiers,expected to lay down their lives for king and country.
with the vetriens testimony and the tv volunteers
of trench life,brings home the reader how ordinary people became soldiers,expected to lay down their lives for king and country.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Very disappointing. I was hoping for an explanation, if not a justification, for the making of the TV series, but the author gives little information about the modern day Hull Pals' experiences or emotions and even less factual detail about daily life in the trenches, other than that which could be gained by a cursory read through any modern history. Not at all "emotional and harrowing" (as per the blurb), merely superficial and uninformative.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not up to standard
This book was a dissapointment. Mr Emden could not make up his mind whether to write about the 1st world war or the recreation of the trench. A shame.
Published on 9 Dec 2009 by Mr. J. Brown
A Mess
What is this book about, exactly? The book of the three part docu/reality/history programme is as confused as its TV counterpart. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2002 by "neveah"
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