Once again great work G.!!! Love to see you are back in action (again!) .
As for the grass: the general image of the trenches is one of complete bare desolation and absence of any vegetation due to the constant shelling, the use of poison gas and frequent trampling combined with plenty of rain. I don’t really know if any grass grew on the edges of these trenches? I just checked a few pics from around the area of Arras (in a book I have within reach) and some show a few strands of grass, but mostly poking out of the heap of soil that form the parapet, while others show a bare mound of earth…
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Really coming along great G … looks more real with each update 
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Thanks to everyone above for their feedback, and the valid points raised,
.
I wanted to add vegetation to give a bit of variation and colour, but I was also aware that it might be a tad contentious and lead to some challenges from folk as to accuracy,
. Whilst I totally accept that many WW1 images seem to show grassless vistas I did wonder if some of that impression was due to many of the photos being B&W,.
I have a couple of acres of land, upon which we keep a number of rescue donkeys. Whilst I accept that they don’t equate to high explosives, they do churn up the ground, especially during a wet winter, but it’s amazing how quickly the grass and weeds can recover.
So I figured that both the parapet and parados of an established trench would possibly have vegetation re-establishing itself where the ground was unshelled,.
I did look online and found the following…
“Grass and vegetation grew alongside World War I trenches, particularly in quieter sectors, rearward support lines, or during lulls in fighting. While heavy combat zones were reduced to mud, trenches in quieter areas or those held for long periods saw grass, wild flowers, and even vegetable gardens planted by soldiers.
Key Details Regarding Vegetation and Trenches:
Green Areas: In some sectors, trenches and dugouts were surrounded by wild grass, dandelions, and clover.
Trench Gardens: Soldiers, particularly in quiet areas, created gardens on the rear parapet for fresh food (cabbages, kale) and to boost morale.
Vegetation Growth: In many areas, the long, undisturbed grass was common enough to hide daytime patrols.
Seasonal Variation: While intense shelling (e.g., in the Somme or at Ypres) turned the landscape into barren mud, other seasons or locations allowed for rapid regrowth.”
I also found quite a number of images such as those below:
I did try to ensure that the images were period as opposed to re-enactment, and whilst I accept that colourisation is always going to be subjective, there does seem to be enough evidence to support the inclusion of vegetation…provided that I don’t overdo it,.
Thanks again to everyone that took the time to respond, it’s always appreciated,.
Cheers,
G
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Nice …
You can’t beat a bit of undeniable photo evidence to keep any naysayers quiet mate ….. will also add a nice bit of colour …. And maybe just one single poppy growing in a patch of green …….
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Hi all,
Blowin’ a hoolie here today, so managed to get some rare weekend modelling done without SWMBI moaning about it,
.
Added ‘chicken wire’ to the various duckboards and gave them an undercoat, also made the first of several trench ladders.
Painted up one of the duckboards to see if the ‘chicken wire’ worked okay.
Probably slightly overscale but, imho, passes muster, especially given how cheap the material is…for those that are interested, it’s insect screen mesh.
It also demonstrates how much of the groundwork beneath will be concealed once it’s fully boarded,
. Might have to think if there’s a realistic way of leaving an area more exposed,…any suggestions welcome,.
I’ve also started to paint the walls of the traverse and add groundwork.
Cheers,
G
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There Indeed is no evidence better than period photos.
My remark was more of the kind of a contemplation and as a critic.
And, in the end it is your work and you do what you think is best.
I will keep following this as I know it will again be a great dio…
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Don’t know if you’ve created trenches prior to this but it’s turning out great, very realistic. Just an abandoned trench as well as you’ve got here is spot on, albeit only adding minor details: the death letters, a ladder, maybe a hint of wire entanglements, evidence of recently being gassed by showing a singular soldier wearing a gasmask?
Thank you for posting 
Cheers
Dave
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Thanks for the positive feedback and suggestions Dave, they really are appreciated,.
Yes, this is first time I’ve attempted a trench, trying to get so much ‘timber’ to look okay is proving daunting, along with constructing it in such a way as to make access for painting reasonably easy, hence creating the front and floor first,.
I have constructed a couple of trench ladders, they need to be painted and installed.
The trench is intended to be set during a lull, so I intend to add a few figures at rest.
I also need to find suitable accessories to furnish the scene…including suitable barbed wire, etc.
G,
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Hi all,
Not much progress this week, life tends to get in the way,
.
I have managed to do some more painting on the front wall of the traverse, plus I’ve started one wall of the short communication trench element.
Cheers,
G
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Looking good G, especially the rarely seen giant wicker-basket decoy 
But possibly a point of order about barbed wire – would there be any visible on the parapet? They wouldn’t get very far going over the top…
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If there was barbed wire in the trench it would only be in bale form for nighttime deployment into no-man’s-land
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Thanks to Tim and Robert for raising the issue of suitability of barbed wire located close to the parapet…an interesting one,.
Online it suggests that barbed wire entanglements were typically placed 30 to 50 yards (about 27 to 45 meters) in front of the front-line trench…so wire entanglements would be unlikely on this diorama. Although it did make the point that in some areas of the Western Front, where trenches were extremely close (e.g., 10-20 meters at Vimy Ridge), the wire would naturally be much closer to the opposing lines.
The picture below shows wire quite close to a roughly constructed trench.
So, a bit like the earlier discussion regarding vegetation on the battlefield, there’s some leeway to using/not using barbed wire here.
If anyone knows of a simple and reasonably realistic way of representing barbed wire I’d be interested to try making some. At the very least I could use Robert’s idea of reels of wire stored in the trench, and/or try to make a knife rest ready to drop in and block the trench.
It would make an interesting feature,.
G,