The Batters And A Soldier's Life In The Trenches

People generally know that life in the trenches in World War 1 was unpleasant and nasty work for soldiers but WW1 historian and expert Steve Williams from Trowbridge provided interested residents from Corsham and equally interested local schoolchildren with a vivid presentation of some of the practical realities of what it meant to be serving and working in the trenches.

It is part of the Corsham WW1 history that the Scots Guards billeted in the Town at different times between 1914 and 1918 used the area known as the Batters to practice and refine their trench digging skills and this area, maintained now by Corsham Town Council, was used as the backdrop for the series of presentations set in a mock up trench labelled Piccadilly Circus. Steve explained that the series of trenches on a war front would have been named like streets to provide some sort of sense and structure for the soldiers and their officers. Trenches were at first dug in straight line ditches but as the war progressed they changed to a zig zag pattern to provide better cover and more effective firing lines and this was practiced first in areas like the Batters and on Salisbury Plain. Digging trenches was a skill in itself but living in them was something else and we learnt about the perils of buckets used as latrines and associated infections, of rats the size of rabbits, of treating outbreaks of fleas and lice and of standing for long periods in wet and horrible conditions. With really helpful and authentic exhibits Steve told us about bombs, fuses and shrapnel, about sniper distraction techniques with dummy heads and periscopes, about homemade grenades made out of used food tins, about the explosive distance of Mills bombs, about helmets and headwear and most graphically about up close self defence skills including the best way to disable an enemy with your club, using Roman looking swords, using hand held skewers and using your trench spade as a weapon. He showed us the difference between light and heavy artillery and expertly demonstrated the fast firing capability of the Lee Enfield rifle and explained why being left handed meant that you were probably given different trench duties that didn’t involve lobbing grenades or firing rifles.

Black and white photos of toiling soldiers standing in recently dug trenches in a field in 1916 Corsham is a great story for the Town recorded forever in a number of books but the reality of those soldiers then being sent to the war in France and Belgium is something else and talks from experts like Steve Williams can only put across some of the harsh reality of what it must have been like to be there in the confusion and mess of a front line trench.

Thanks to Steve Williams for his time, his props and his enthusiasm, to Dave Martin and Sharon Thomas and the grounds team from Corsham Town Council for the planning and the setting up, to the Cubs who provided refreshments and to those that came to the Batters over 2 days of presentations. Over 140 children from local schools walked to the Batters for a series of presentations on a very wet Monday morning but it did mean getting out of school for an hour and their teachers did get wet too.


Kevin Gaskin
2014

And the dog came too! Steve Williams talks to a group of residents from his mock up trench at the Batters.

The Batters is featured as part of our Memorial Walk, which you can download here.

To find out more about the other events that will be coming up as part of Corsham's centenary commemorations please visit the Key Dates page.

If you attended the Trenches Day at the Batters and have any comments or feedback, you can either leave them on this blog post or via our Contact Us page.