Peter Gill

On August 4th 1914, with the declaration of war between Britain and Germany, reservist Tommy Atkins is called up to serve his country.

Within weeks he sees his first action and experiences the full scale of life in the Western Front trenches – the horror, the pain, the misery, the boredom and even the moments of joy.

Peter Gill wrote this play in 2014 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War and details through the eyes of a simple ‘Tommy’ the reality for those who actually fought it. The audience goes with him as he fights at Ypres, Passendale, Loos and on the Somme an experience that took him to the depths of despair but also brought him unique comradeship that he would never find again.
From the beginning of the war to the end, Private Tommy Atkins was there. This is his story.