Review: 1916: No Turning Back

I had to write this blog post as quickly as possible after seeing 1916: No Turning Back at the Gala Theatre in Durham City. I have dried the tears from my eyes, but the hairs on the back of my neck are still standing tall.

I had read some good reviews about the event after it started running last week, but they didn’t (or couldn’t) prepare me for what I was about to experience. It is just that – not a show, not a play or an exhibition, but an experience, and one like no other I have had before.

I’m not a big history buff, nor do I know a great deal about the Battle of the Somme (until now) but this experience really moved me, as it did the entire group of people I was with. There were around 20 people in my group, ranging from a 12-year-old girl to couples in their 80s.

The Gala has been transformed, the seats have been removed and the set is very impressive. This is like nothing to ever take place at the theatre before. As our group walked in the lights were dimmed and we were greeted by Second Lieutenant Simon Taylor, (local actor Lawrence Neale). We were welcomed as new recruits to a pals’ battalion of the Durham Light Infantry.

The lieutenant was sat getting his photo taken with real-life recruits from the county, and explained the volunteer-led recruitment policy, asking if anyone was between the ages of 18 and 38 in the group. I am, and was told I’d need to join him had I been around a hundred years ago. It got me thinking, what did these men go through? What about the families they were leaving behind? How would I have coped?

Simon Taylor quickly left the scene as the group moved to the next stop on this walk-through story. Sergeant Jack cotton appeared shouting at us as if we were real recruits. He instructed one of the group to bayonet a sack in front of us, and told us to toughen up and forget about our loved ones back home. We were here to do a job – (at this stage the photo behind the Sergeant was of recruits charging with bayonets a hundred years ago. They looked in good spirits, but that wouldn’t last long.) The enormity and blood-filled reality of life at War was about to be explained as we stepped forward another few yards.

Once we were through to the next section, I felt there was no way out, clearly an intentional emotion that the Gala are trying to evoke, as the soldiers in 1916 had no way back – they would do their duty, whatever the consequences.  I can’t put into words the fear that those men would have felt, but this show certainly made me think about it a lot. It’s easy to get distracted as the Captain (promoted quickly due to the death toll) explains how he spends his days, as the giant screen behind him shows real footage of soldiers in 1914-18.

We were quickly moved on again, it was at this point the first tears arrived, as we moved into the trench. It was now that I really started to think what it must have been like to be there – as shells fall and bullets are fired the noise is deafening, it is pitch black and the smells are strong. It is that noise that sent many men mad. We were sat down in the trench in completed darkens, and I was wondering what it must have been like knowing that as soon as you move you risk being killed instantly by the enemy.

When we moved out of the trench after a few minutes the battle was over. We hear that Simon Taylor has died, and his family are notified by telegram. We continued moving round and were greeted by a nurse (actress Anna Nicholson) who has to stay strong for her patients. She explains the harsh reality of being a volunteer, about some of the things she has seen, and how soldiers are categorised into three groups when they arrive for medical attention. Some are sent home, some are bandaged up and sent back to fight, and some don’t make it back out. It is obvious here that the young women who helped out, also paid a heavy price.

As we moved round again the nurse has changed and is now the sister of a local soldier who had suffered a great deal during his time at war. She reads excerpts from his war diary, as he is unable to communicate properly since his return.

Finally we move to the last section where we see that group photo again, only this time many of the faces aren’t visible, as we hear names of the dead read out over a speaker system. This really made me think, and I looked around to see most people wiping away tears, and commenting how much the experience moved them.

It’s a hard thing to convey in words, and really has to be seen to be appreciated.

Tickets for 1916: No Turning Back are £7.50.
The show lasts around 40 minutes, and runs until 28th August.

For tickets call 03000 266600 or visit Gala website

* If you are seeing No Turning Back you can get a joint ticket which also gains you access into the exhibition Somme 1916: From Durham to the Western Front at Palace Green Library.