Digging in – Reconstructing WWI Trenches – Pollok Park, GlasgowHome - Digging in - Reconstructing WWI Trenches

Pals Battalions

(Q 51468) Transport for the troops of the 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) at Maryhill Barracks in Glasgow. Captain Thomas Sheri…

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January 2019

Digging in: Volunteers, visitors, and other voices

My name is Camilla Löfgren and I moved from Sweden to Scotland five years ago. In 2017 I completed my undergraduate degree in Archaeology, and in 2017- 2018 I pursued a Masters in Material Culture and…

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May 2017

Volunteer!

Digging In needs some volunteers to help keep the trenches in good order! Do you have time to spare? Are you looking to contribute your time and skills, ideas and talents to a project that seeks to i…

18

May 2017

Playing with The First World War

Playing is integral to human nature and in many senses it is through play that we learn about the world. Recognising the importance of video games as a modern cultural form, they should not be underes…

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March 2017

Women in Engineering

Louise Bell’s is the Diverse histories researcher for the National Archives – in her second article for Digging In, she explores how the records of women in engineering can be used as a new lens to vi…

Great War Stories

Dolly Shepherd, the Parachute Queen

Evelina Haverfield, suffragette and aid worker

Captain George Notman Kirkwood

Lawrence Nealis, a young boy from Govan

Harry Ranken, Doctor and hero

Vera ‘Jack’ Holme

Digging in App

The Digging In app lets you listen to soundscapes for the battles of La Boisselle and Vimy Ridge, developed by the Digital Design Studio at Glasgow School of Art, which give an aural sense of First World War front line experiences. The app also draws together oral testimonies from people who experienced the war firsthand – medics, munitions workers, conscientious objectors, prisoners of war and soldiers from both sides of the conflict – drawn from the Imperial War Museum’s extension collection of sound recordings.

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Sister projects

While Digging In explored the historical realities of WWI trench warfare, its sister projects focused on other aspects of WWI experience:

Wings to War explored the heritage of WWI aviation and Glasgow’s links to it through key personalities such as the aviator Sir David Henderson and aircraft designer Frank Barnwell. It was funded by The Heritage Fund and project partner the University of Glasgow.

War & Peas recreated a Home Front allotment in Pollok Country Park and used it to explore the heritage of Glasgow’s allotments and how they developed in response to WWI food shortages, highlighting issues of health and wellbeing 100 years ago and today. It was funded by The Heritage Fund and delivered in partnership with Glasgow Allotments Forum.

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Visitors to the trenches say...

Fantastic day, lovely and approachable guides. Thank you. - C. O'Connor

Excellent and very educational day. Really enjoyed the props, costumes and visual elements. Made the whole experience much more REAL. Has reignited my interest in the period. - B. Drawbridge

A great afternoon, enjoyed learning about the war. - Eilidh (age 6)

The re-enactors bring the reality of the war to the forefront in a very important and successful way. I had seen pictures of the trenches but they are incredibly powerful in real life. - C. Green

Excellent! I’ve learned more here today than I ever have done before because it was active. - Michelle

Very interesting stuff all together. Will spread the word. - Liam

Very interesting for all ages. Well worth a visit, will keep an eye on the website for future activities. - William, Ainsley & Kevin

Excellent, a lot of hard work. Good insight into life in the trenches. - M. & G.

Very interesting project, well laid out and presented - well worth the visit. - Steven & Bernie

Very well put together and interesting to see all the weapons. - J. White

What a fantastic project, very insightful, a great way to get a tiny feel for what our service men and women did for us. Thank you and keep up the excellent work. - A. & M. Wriey

A great project! Very eye opening and great to see what it would have been like - loved the artefacts. - K. Brown

Really fantastic re-creation, brings the past back to life. The children had an informative and educational experience which will stay with them. - R. Weeks

A fantastic and well thought out exhibition. Excellent for the wee ones. Good luck in the future. - L. Leggate

Excellent visual representation for everyone, particularly school children studying WW1. I teach deaf pupils and they would love this realistic, visual experience! - J. McDowell

Really excellent experience. Brings home the reality of the experience as far as is possible. Will keep on coming back to visit. - A. Larkin

Brilliant project, this is our second visit and lots changed. Thanks so much for bringing WW1 to life. - W. Peters

Thank you for this event - long may it continue, really fantastic opportunity to learn more about our history and the amazing men and women who all contributed. - Sarah

Came at Doors Open Day [2015] when under construction. Good to see the result. Kids loved it, looking forward to seeing even more of it come to life. - The Mackenzies

So interesting for this Scottish American to learn a bit of living history. Thanks! - C. McHardy

That was really interesting. Sparked lots of questions and thoughts about things I’d never contemplated before about trench warfare. Thank you. - B. Stevens

Seeing the trenches in 'real life' brings it all to life. Well done! - H. Pert

Great surprise - I took my three children in and they learnt loads about the reality of WW1. Thank you very much! - Eddie

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A hub for active learning and research, informed by excavations and archives

Despatches

18

January 2019

Digging in: Volunteers, visitors, and other voices

30

May 2017

Volunteer!

18

May 2017

Playing with The First World War

24

March 2017

Women in Engineering

Great War Stories

Dolly Shepherd, the Parachute Queen

Evelina Haverfield, suffragette and aid worker

Captain George Notman Kirkwood

Lawrence Nealis, a young boy from Govan

Harry Ranken, Doctor and hero

Vera ‘Jack’ Holme