Surrounded by barbed wire, sandbags and mud, this 60ft trench is barely distinguishable from those occupied by British soldiers fighting in the First World War a century ago.

The enormous dugout has been painstakingly recreated by [Andrew Robertshaw], an ex-history teacher in the field behind his former house in Surrey, [England].

First World War historian Andrew Robertshaw and 30 volunteers – including a detachment of troops returning from Afghanistan – spent a month shifting 200 tons of earth to build the enormous three-room trench, which he hopes will teach people more about the horrific living conditions endured by British troops during the Great War.

“[In films] either soldiers are going over the top to certain deaths, or living in the trenches for weeks on end”. The reality, he explained, was much less exciting.

“You would live there for five days and then go away for 20 and then come back again. There is a routine to it. “One veteran told me that during his time in the trenches he was ‘90% bored stiff, 9% frozen stiff and 1% scared stiff'”.

Via Daily Mail for more pictures and the full article.