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

Trench Gardens

During the First World War, gardens were created by soldiers on both sides of the Western Front. They existed in all zones, from front lines…

30

May 2017

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…

24

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…

14

October 2016

The Wounded of WW1: Society and Rehabilitation

Louise Bell is researching the impact that war wounds of all kinds had on people and society during World War I. Caring for the wounded was a vital, complex process involving many people, institution…

Great War Stories

Willie Angus, footballer & hero

John Farrer, father & miner

Elsie Inglis, surgeon & suffragist

Ishobel Ross, serving up comfort in Serbia

Dorothy Lawrence, would-be war reporter

Upcoming Events

- Sunday, September 24th, 2017
- Glasgow
Doughboys & Dominions: America and the Commonwealth in WW1

Open Day Highlights!
- 1.30pm Join Professor Tony Pollard as he University of Glasgow, talks about the excavation of mass graves of Australian troops at Fromelles in France.
- 2.30pm Join historian James Taub as he leads a discussion on the Doughboys part in the war, race, regionalism, and the First World War’s place in American history and memory.
- ‘Take me out to the ball game’ Try your hand at the sport American soldiers brought to Europe during WW1. Will you hit a home run? Or will it be one, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ballgame?
- Buttons and Badges: Each country involved in the WW1 had designs on the buttons of their uniform. Can you guess which buttons belong to which countries? Try our quiz and find out! Or Make your own button badge to take home!
- Doughboys and Dominions: Exhibition looking what the Yanks brought to the final stages of the conflict and how Commonwealth contributions triggered independence movements around the globe.
Read more
- Sunday, October 15th, 2017
- Glasgow
Wounds of War: Medicine in WW1

World War I was fought on an industrial scale like nothing experienced before, with both sides using and developing increasingly lethal weapons. Join us to discover how, faced with this challenge, new equipment and techniques were invented that, across four years of fighting, would end up saving thousands of lives.

Read more
See all our events

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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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2017 events at the trenches

Latest Resources

The Scottish Women’s Hospitals

The Scottish Women’s Hospitals website is dedicated to keeping alive the memory of the SWH. It featu…
France & La Premiere Guerre Mondiale

A selection of links to some fantastic online resources for researching France’s experience of World…
Glasgow and World War I

Glasgow City Council’s First World War commemoration website is a mine of information on the many di…
Conscientious Objectors

Links to some key resources on the experiences of conscientious objectors.
Developments in medicine and trauma

How medics dealt with the mental and physical injuries soldiers sustained.

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Reconstructing World War 1 trenches

Despatches

30

May 2017

Volunteer!

18

May 2017

Playing with The First World War

24

March 2017

Women in Engineering

14

October 2016

The Wounded of WW1: Society and Rehabilitation

Great War Stories

Willie Angus, footballer & hero

John Farrer, father & miner

Elsie Inglis, surgeon & suffragist

Ishobel Ross, serving up comfort in Serbia

Dorothy Lawrence, would-be war reporter

The Scottish Women’s Hospitals

France & La Premiere Guerre Mondiale

Glasgow and World War I

Conscientious Objectors

Developments in medicine and trauma