There is a practice trench system at Pullingshill Wood in Buckinghamshire, which I am currently surveying/researching for possible scheduling.
It was costructed by 3rd and 4th battalions of the Grenadier Guards in june 1915,and continued to be used throughout 1916 for traning.The troops were billeted at nearby Bovingdon camp,Bucks and those who used the trenches included the grenadier guards,the bankers battallion and the royal engineers etc.
Any info related to this site and its usage would be gratefully rec'd.

Hi,

I did some research into the training trenches at the Redmires (Hallam Moors) outside Sheffield last year. Just out of interest.. What is the nature of the trenches you are researching? Are they deep/shallow? Do they form distinguished patterns like fire-bays? Are they on pastureland/Moorland or in a park area? I am sorry not being able to provide you any background on those particular trenches you are investigating. However, the book 'the archaeology of the Salisbury Plain military training area', published by England heritage, has a good article on training-trecnhes, that you might find usefull. Also, try to get hold of the trench warfare manual published by the British army in 1916. It has been reprinted by the IWM a few years ago, and comparing the training trenches with the 'standard models' from the book might be rewarding.

Best regards,

Bert

How many such training trench systems are now scheduled/listed or whatever ?

I saw the TV prog. about the Yorkshire trenches and found it fascinating. Also , of course, very poignant when one considers the eventual fate of many of the men who constructed them and then perished in similar trenches in France and Belgium.

Ian,

As far as I know, the only scheduled trenches so far are the gas warfare training trenches trenches on Porton Down, Wiltshire. They are on the military estate and not accessible for the public. They are two concentric circles of trenches, and I am not sure how they were used... Further from the rest, I don't believe any have been scheduled so far, not even the Yorkshire ones (but they are in a national park, so very unlikely to ne bothered by development). At Bodelwydan castle in Wales (they used to have a website with some nnice pics of the trenches, but it seems to be off-line), there is a nicely preserved system as well. It is not scheduled, but maintained by the owners and open to the public. Some very nice aereal pics of the area from the 1920's survive as well; showing the full extnet of the system. I believe the catsle's owners are working on an info-panel.

Bert

No it's still up here's the link; http://www.bodelwyddan-castle.co.uk/trenches.htm

Here's another view of those practice trenches. Think they are the same ones but the could be in kimnel Camp. When I was there there were some earthworks we trained on, but always thought they were more recent.


http://www.tlysau.org.uk/en/item1/12304


Dave

Although there are lots of practice trenches round only a few are scheduled, many on MOD land. Scheduled examples include Barry Buddon near Dundee, which appear to have been modified in WW2, Otterburn and Penally (Pembrokeshire), as well as the examples already mentioned.

A key question in respect of these monuments is their function over time. Some were just for construction practrice, others for surveying anf yet more for combat, trench routine, even mining. And has been mentioned it's interesting to compare theory and reality.

I live about half a mile from the trenches at Pullingshill Wood. If anybody needs photos, let me know soonest...I'm posted to Cyprus in 10 days! :-)

I used to go to these trenches regularly as a kid 1974-79. My mum still walks her dog there. I never knew it was called Pullingshill Wood. Marlow Common is how we know it. It is a massive system of trenches stretching for half a mile or more. Well worth a visit. Fairly wooded now, but all trenches are well defined & not too shallow. The zig-zag pattern appears to have been dug on the edge of the crest, the ground falls away in a slope from there. Behind are long ditches/communication trenches running parallel with the road. A great place.

Danny Dawson's survey work at Pullingshill Wood has just been published - "First World War practice trenches in Pullingshill Wood, Marlow: an interpretation and evaluation", in Records of Buckinghamshire vol 47 part 1, 2007, pp179-190.

As there are two ongoing threads about the Pullingshill Wood trenches (and a reference to them in another), for the sake of cross-reference see my post of yesterday re the units based there:

here


Moonraker