The Trench - Feature Film
A major feature film portraying life in a front line trench during the 36 hours leading up to the Battle of the Somme through the experiences of a group of young volunteer soldiers starring Paul Nicholls, Daniel Craig, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Danny Dyer.
Historical Advice:
Historical Adviser: Taff Gillingham
The Writer and Director, William Boyd, was very keen to ensure that every detail of the men's uniform and equipment were correct. Right from the outset Taff was asked to check the script for any errors or omissions and was appointed Historical Adviser. During the production he was called upon to answer questions as diverse as when the 24 hour clock was introduced, the exact contents of the soldiers pack and what the moonlight was like on 30 June 1916. All were answered accurately within minutes of having been asked.
Props:
There were many items needed to portray the life of a group of soldiers of the period (June 1916) which were not available through the usual prop hire sources. We were able to provide many hard to find objects, such as a small quantity of the correct mess tins, and the right type of hand grenade in the proper wooden crate.
Some items such as the haversacks for the early 'PH' type gas masks were completely unavailable at that time and we had 40 of these made to the original specification. Likewise cotton ammunition bandoliers of the correct type proved elusive and these were also faithfully reproduced.
Specialist Extras:
We provided 31 men all dressed as soldiers of July 1916. Every man was correctly turned out. All had the right haircuts and were well drilled in the ways of the soldier of the period. Each carried a (de-activated) rifle and, as each man was interested in the period portrayed, needed minimal coaching to produce the results the Director was looking for.
A very worthwhile aspect of the work on The Trench was taking ten of the main cast members away for 24 hours training at a reconstructed Great War trench system in Essex. The ten actors were matched with ten of The Khaki Chums. Over 24 very uncomfortable hours, the actors were initiated into many unsavoury aspects of Great War trench life, including a two hour session of filling sandbags under 'shell fire' and 'standing-to' for an hour before dawn. All actors who took part agreed that this was invaluable help when getting to know their characters.