Hi all - only just fond the forum and really enjoying reading the posts. I just wondered if you could help me with a rather odd query about the detail of a 1:35 trench diorama I'm making.
Basically I've made it so that the duckboards can be lifted to reveal the A frame holding them and wanted to show what might have been underneath. It's my understanding that it was a sump that would have initially been filled with water before turning into mud as time went on and the walls degraded into it. I am trying to recreate an early, pretty clean design to show how they were constructed initially so my question is, what sort of rubbish etc. might have you found under there, if any? I guess you might be talking the odd bully beef tin and perhaps some cartridge cases + rats but other than that I can't think of anything else that might have been there. Any ideas?
Hi Paul - the fag ends are a good idea and would be very easy to model. I hadn't thought of the problem with rats and food waste - I guess you're right as the last thing you would want to do is encourage them. Here are some photos of the work so far, though there will be some fake muddied water added before final painting:
and another with the duckboards added ..
hopefully it should look ok when worn and weathered a little :)
-- Edited by Dasser on Friday 13th of April 2012 08:51:41 AM
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Hi Darren, Given the social acceptance towards smoking and the amount seen in photo's I would think there would be large amounts of "fag ends" and empty packets. Maybe the odd glove or such like. biscuits from the rations etc, but having said that, the troops would have made a point of keeping it clean to keep down vermin and smells etc and to aid in the flow of rain water. HTH Paul
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The finest stories of the Great War are those that will never be told.
I'm not convinced that fag ends would be appropriate. In 1:35 scale, a millimetre of cigarette would be 35mm of full-size cigarette, representing two or three draws remaining for the dedicated smoker. Also, even a small amount of water and dirt would quickly degrade, spread and cover the paper and tobacco - no filter tips in those days.
Having said that, I'm afraid I have nothing constructive to offer except that empty (or occasionally full) charger clips might find their way down there.
It looks like the order of the day was mud, mud and simply mud!
Very nearly - not sure if you would want to incorporate the reality revealed by AP Herbert's celebrated doggerel commemorating General Shute's inspection of the Naval Division's trenches. Refer
Brilliant :) sums up the lions leading donkeys argument. I bet the 'orrible sod was glad we had them at Gallipoli though otherwise it could have been even worse than it was.
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In my garden I have a sort of "duckboards", every year I clean it under, and this is what I found (sometimes): Coins, paper, parts of eating garment (fork, knive, spoon), rests of broken bottle/cups, leafes (=the stuff that is hanging on trees), death worms, toys (parts of them), keys, all I didn't found rest of the year :), I think in trenches it must have be the same. I agree with geod-LA, cigarettes are very little to make in 1/35 (even coins are too small and they sink in the mud/water)
Cheers tankcommander - nice to have a first hand account. Guess it's a measure of how extremely sad I am that I'm jealous you have your own duckboards :)
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