Description
The monument comprises the remains of training trenches constructed by troops based at the adjacent Stobs Camp during the First World War. The trenches, surviving in three distinct groups, are visible as earthworks on slopes on the southeast side of Acreknowe Burn and downstream of the Acreknowe Reservoir. They are located around 1.5km north-northeast of the core of Stobs Camp at around 205m above sea level.
The southern collection of trenches (centred at NT 49820 10720) is the largest by area. Various trench styles and systems survive including communication trenches (zig-zag form), crenelated lines and square sections. The trenches vary in depth from around 30 to 40cm. Immediately northwest of the southern group, the central group of trenches (centred at NT 49768 10873) are the smallest by area. The central trench system is laid out with a front line with its 'Greek Key' design to the northeast, northwest and to the southwest. The northeast and southwest lines are connected by two communication trenches and a narrow trench lies parallel to the northeast line. This central group is probably the best preserved at Acreknowe with the clearest remains on plan and are up to 50cm deep. The northern trench system (centred at NT 50032 11135) lies around 280m northeast of the central group and is located on the southeast side of the burn. This group of trenches have a forward line to the northeast with two communication trenches leading to a network of trenches to the rear. The trench remains at the northern group are up to 50cm deep.
The scheduled area is irregular and consists of three parts. It includes the remains described above and an area around within which evidence relating to the monument's construction, use and abandonment is expected to survive, as shown in red on the accompanying map. The above ground elements of all fencing and gates are specifically excluded from the scheduling, to allow for their maintenance.
Statement of National Importance
The national importance of the monument is demonstrated in the following way(s) (see Designations Policy and Selection Guidance, Annex 1, para 17):
a. The monument is of national importance because it has the potential to make a significant contribution to our understanding of the past, in particular about the nature of military training in the First World War, and the impact of the conflict on Scotland. It is directly related to Stobs Camp, one of the key early 20th century military training centres in the country, as it was constructed and used for training by the troops based at Stobs. The concentration of military infrastructure in this area, demonstrates the significance of Stobs Camp to the overall war effort.
b. The monument retains structural, architectural, decorative or other physical attributes which make a significant contribution to our understanding or appreciation of the past. The clear plan form of the trench complexes is well-preserved and displays characteristic elements of First World War design. The survival of multiple styles and examples of trench systems that are clearly visible above ground makes this site particularly significant.
c. The monument is a rare surviving example of a First World War training area within Scotland. Such training areas would have been relatively common during the conflict but only five examples including those at Acreknowe by Stobs have been identified to date (October 2022).
d. The monument with its well-preserved trench complexes is a particularly good example of a First World War training area within Scotland. It is therefore an important representative of this monument type.
e. The monument has research potential which could significantly contribute to our understanding or appreciation of the past. There is high potential for historical research and investigation of buried archaeological evidence which could tell us more about the training that took place at Stobs during the First World War and more generally what impact the advent of trench warfare had on military training during this period.
f. The monument makes a significant contribution to today's landscape and/or our understanding of the historic landscape by serving as a physical reminder of the importance of military camps and wartime training in Scotland. They served as a crucial part of troop training as trench warfare eventually came to typify the First World War.
g. The monument has significant associations with historical events. The trenches are directly related to events of the First World War; they would have been constructed and used by regiments training out of Stobs Camp.
Assessment of Cultural Significance
This statement of national importance has been informed by the following assessment of cultural significance:
- Intrinsic characteristics (how the remains of a site or place contribute to our knowledge of the past)
The monument was constructed during the First World War as a training area for the soldiers at Stobs Camp, around 1.5km south of the site. With the advent of the First World War, Stobs Camp was changed to operating as a year-round training facility, to accommodate the high numbers of new recruits during the conflict. Training trenches were dug to prepare recruits for the practicalities of the trench warfare they would face on the front lines of the Western Front and elsewhere, including construction and maintenance of the trenches as well as combat tactics and use of weapons.
All three areas of the trench complexes are well-preserved and display characteristic elements of First World War design. The plan form of the trenches is very clear and readily interpreted on the ground, being up to 50cm deep. To have such a selection of First World War trenches surviving in this condition is very rare. There is high potential for historical research and investigation of buried archaeological evidence to tell us more about the training that took place at Acreknowe during the First World War. There is also potential for evidence showing the development and changes to training techniques over time, specifically how the three groups of First World War trenches relate to each other and show some examples of different styles and defensive systems.
- Contextual characteristics (how a site or place relates to its surroundings and/or to our existing knowledge of the past)
The Acreknowe training trenches are located on sloping ground on the southeast side of Acreknowe Burn on the small, narrow valley floor. The training trenches are directly linked to the adjacent Stobs Camp (scheduled monument SM13767) where troops were stationed for military training in the early 20th century. Troops would have travelled from the camp only 1.5km away to construct and train within the trenches. It is common with many military training areas within Scotland, that such training trenches were reused at other points in the 20th century. While in many cases this reuse removed any First World War evidence, at Acreknowe there are most likely entirely First World War elements surviving.
This site is one of twelve known sites across Scotland used for military training during the First World War. Very few visible parts of First World War training areas survive to any recognisable degree within Scotland. Two groups of training trenches survive near Invergordon, at Rhicullen (SM13640) and Broomhill (SM13641) and another example of training trenches survives at Dreghorn (scheduled monument SM13717), while a set of trenches with additional evidence of later Second World War use are known to survive at the Barry Buddon Training Centre in Angus.
- Associative characteristics (how a site or place relates to people, events, and/or historic and social movements)
The First World War trenches would have been constructed and used by regiments training out of Stobs Camp. The physical remains of sites from the First World War such as the Acreknowe training area have become places to visit, remember and commemorate the people who served on wartime sites such as this. The monument is a visible reminder of the considerable scale of infrastructure and resources and number of people required in the First World War, one of the defining events of the 20th century.