The Trench is a 1999 war film written and directed by William Boyd and starring Paul Nicholls and Daniel Craig. It depicts the experiences of a group of young British soldiers in the 48 hours leading up to the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

Plot

In the summer of 1916, Lance Corporal Dell shows his collection of nude photos to the men of his platoon. Private Billy MacFarlane remarks to his brother Eddie that one of the girls looks familiar to him. The platoon commander, Lieutenant Harte, informs Sergeant Winter that the platoon will be "going over" in the third wave of the upcoming summer offensive, carrying supplies in relative safety. Eddie is reprimanded during night sentry duty by Sergeant Winter for trying to look through a hole in the trench. Billy annoys Eddie afterwards with questions about the girl from the photo and convinces himself it was a young woman named Maria who worked at the Post Office. After morning stand-to, the platoon eggs Eddie on to look through the hole. He sees a scene of relative peace and beauty before being shot in the jaw and neck. Billy is unconsolable as Eddie is taken away on a stretcher.