Opening up a new Western Front: First World War trenches to be replicated in English countryside at Great War museum

Over half a mile of Allied and German trenches to be built in Cambridge

Area is the size of two football fields and includes no-man's land

'Living museum' will also feature replica tank and mini railway

Could be open by August 2014 if permission is granted

A World War One trench system covering an area the size of two football fields could be built in the English countryside.



Proposals for a 'living museum' in Cambridgeshire would see over half a mile of both British and German trenches, complete with their own no-man's land, built just off the A14.

The National Centre for the Great War would also have nine training huts and would allow schoolchildren to visit and experience the day-to-day life of soldiers during the 1914-1918 conflict.

Dr Tony Cooke has submitted plans for this museum in Cambridge which would see over half a mile of trenches and nine training huts built just off of the A14 due to open in August 2014 to make the centenary of the Great War

The trenches and training huts - both Allied and German - would be built to authentic plans with minor adjustments to make them safe for the public

If proposals go ahead visitors would be dressed in replica World War I uniforms and allowed to hold replica weapons, then guided through the site by historical experts and re-enactors.

The site will even feature a tank - which is currently parked on founder Dr Tony Cooke's driveway - and a miniature railway.

Dr Cooke, a biologist and amateur historian, said: 'The Great War has now moved into history. There are no survivors of the Great War left, so you can't go and talk to those guys anymore.

'We are stewards for this history and we need to pass that on to the next generation.'

Dr Tony Cooke is a biologist and amateur historian who has a replica WWI tank on his driveway

This tank will form part of the 'living museum' which would allow visitors a glimpse into the everyday lives of soldiers during the conflict

It will be the only one of its kind in Britain and the most extensive in Western Europe, and could be open as early as August next year, in time for the centenary of the start of the Great War.

The project has taken four years of research and planning to get to this point, and will cost £2million, all of it privately funded.

The trenches and training huts will all be based on actual plans from German and British military manuals from the time, with minor alterations to make them safer.

Dr Cooke added: 'Existing trenches are nicely grassed over and have pretty gardens attached so for someone going to the Western Front it is difficult to imagine what a trench was like.

'We looked at sites in France and Belgium but planning applications were so onerous it could've taken 20 years.

'We decided the best place was in Britain to provide a place for children who cannot afford to go to the Western Front.

'The Government has put aside money to send children there, but it is only enough for two children and one teacher from each state school. We wanted to provide another option.'

British troops suffered through the war in terrible conditions in makeshift trenches that stretched from Belgium to Switzerland

There are no survivors left from the Great War so it is up to the next generation to keep the history alive and make sure the soldiers are remembered

It is hoped up to 300,000 visitors would flock to the museum annually, making it a viable business which will not use any public funding.

Dr Cooke said he and his co-founder, Kevin Jepson, decided not to use public money as it is already stretched between other projects.

The museum will also feature exhibits documenting local WWI history, including the lives of famous figures from Cambridge University who fought in the conflict, such as poet Sigfried Sassoon.

The University held a unique place in the history of the War as it had students serve as officers on both German and Allied sides.

FROM THE NORTH SEA TO THE SWISS FRONTIER - TRENCHES IN WWI

Allied troops, like these French grenadiers, lived, fought and died in huge trench systems dug during WWI After the Battle of the Marne in September, 1914, the German army was forced to retreat to the River Aisne.

The commander decided that his troops must at all costs hold onto those parts of France and Belgium that they still occupied. The men were ordered to dig trenches that would provide them with protection from the advancing French and British troops.

The Allies soon realised that they could not break through this line and they also began to dig.

After a few months these trenches had spread from the North Sea to the Swiss Frontier. As the Germans were the first to build, they had been able to choose the best places.

The possession of the higher ground not only gave the Germans a tactical advantage, but it forced the British and French to live in the worst conditions.

Most of this area was rarely a few feet above sea level. As soon as soldiers began to dig down they would invariably find water two or three feet below the surface.

Water-logged trenches were a constant problem for soldiers on the Western Front leading to the spread of lice and so-called 'trench foot', where constantly soaking boots lead to soldiers feet literally rotting off the bone. It would take the loss of millions of lives and the invention of the tank by the British army before the formidable system was finally broken four years after it was built.









