What was life like in the trenches during World War I? To answer this question, an 800 m² open-air trench was inaugurated on Monday November 11 at the Great War Museum in Meaux (Seine-et-Marne), in Île-de-France. An immersive and educational journey has been imagined, notably with very realistic sounds reminiscent of the way of life of the furry in these trenches. It is a brand new device, unique in France, with a decoration made of resin.
Like a new recruit, entry onto the battlefield is from the rear, through the trench. “Thanks to the sounds, we hear that we are arriving at the moment of the assault. The trench is accompanied by a sound discovery which lasts 20 minutes. There is an alternation between calm sequences and three strong moments which correspond to bombardments or an assault”describes Johanne Berlemont, head of conservation at the museum.
Everything is done to immerse yourself in the daily life of furry people. There is an artillery post, a firing slot, an observation post. Everything has almost been reconstructed. There is even a listening post which was then used to spy on enemies: “It was a chore for the men, an imposed task. It was dangerous because during the “coups de main”, during the night operations, it was the first positions that were targeted”. In this listening post, a small cabin of a few meters that you discover after crawling, you can hear the conversations of German soldiers.
This realistic immersion in a trench was essential according to Audrey Chaix, the director of the museum. “It is truly the symbol of the Great War, she emphasizes. It was therefore important for us to go further than the reconstruction of trenches that we already have in the museum to offer this new room. We think of it like that. It allows visitors to understand the trench system during the Great War.”. This decor pleases Christophe, dressed in a soldier's outfit from the period and who is part of the historical spectacle of Meaux.
“It’s a hell of a lot of reconstruction work. You can believe it!”
Christophe, who is part of the Meaux historical spectacleat franceinfo
Achieving such realism was possible thanks to Michaël Bourlet, one of the historical advisors who worked on the design of this educational trench: “I found in the archives, and there are many of them, drawings of trench lines made by soldiers during the First World War, and we made a sort of synthesis of all that. Beyond showing how it was was, it also allows people to understand something that seems totally incomprehensible to us today: why do people, for four years, stay in trenches waging war?”
To do this, throughout the route, signs explain each of the different spaces in the trench. The Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, is present on Monday November 11 in Meaux for the commemorations and to inaugurate this educational trench.
