My Story: The Trenches (War Heroes Edition) Messe Frankfurt eBroschure. The Trenches is set in 1917 and is the story of Billy Stevens, a telegraph operator stationed near Ypres. The Great War has been raging for three years when Billy finds himself taking part in the deadly Big Push. But he is shocked to discover that the bullets of his fellow soldiers aren't just aimed at the enemy. Vividly imagined and historically accurate, readers are taken on a first hand journey of danger and peril.