For hours and hours on end you are mind-numbingly bored. Then suddenly the boredom is interrupted by sheer terror.

Boredom and fear were the two dominant emotions felt by troops in the trenches of World War One. They were exactly the same in Afghanistan.

The equipment, technology, uniforms and of course the enemy may have been immeasurably different. But the feelings of the soldiers were identical.

It’s one of the discoveries that visitors to a new exhibition in Carlisle Castle will make. “Blood, Sweat and Tears” is at the Museum of Military Life in the castle grounds until Wednesday, September 4.

The exhibition, supported by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, displays uniforms, equipment, weaponry, medals and other items from the conflict in Afghanistan. Six of the 456 British soldiers killed there were from Cumbria.

But the central feature of the exhibition is a video. Soldiers talk about what they saw and how they felt, and share stories, anecdotes and reflections.

It makes compelling viewing. And as Jules Wooding, the museum’s learning and access officer, explains: “It’s important to give the people who were there a voice, rather than hear it second-hand on the TV news.”

Some of the soldiers’ accounts are quite moving. One, Rupert Follett, says: “Our mission was to support the government of Afghanistan by defeating the Taliban. My personal mission was to bring 120 young men home safely.

“I failed in both missions.”

Tony McSkimmings adds: “I wasn’t expecting to come back, to be quite honest.”

About two-thirds of the casualties among the coalition forces were caused by improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Graham Roberts remembers: When an IED goes off all you’ll see is yellow.

“You hear a noise, you go: ‘What was that?’ - but not exactly in those words. And you’ll see nothing but yellow.”

Winning the hearts and minds of ordinary Afghans was important. Most of them were frightened of the Taliban and often keen to help.

Though Del Spry recalls: “It depends which village you went to as to how they reacted. If the Taliban were close by, they’d pretty much ignore you.”

Pete Fearon says: “When we were cutting through the fields and you’d see the farmers suddenly disappear, you knew straight away you were going to get contacted.

“These farmers knew the Taliban were there. They’d disappear and once they’d gone you would hear the boom-boom-boom.”

When they weren’t out on patrol the conditions weren’t always comfortable, as Tony explains.

“Some places we occupied were flea-infested, with farm animals sleeping next to you and rabid dogs chained up to a wall, that you’re looking at every time you go and brush your teeth.”

And there was the overwhelming heat, even in the dead of night. Charlie Webb says: “One of my lasting memories is being in the sentry towers at two or three in the morning, and you’ve got your full body armour on, and there’d be sweat trickling down your neck and all the way down the crevice of your spine.”

Another soldier, Rob Singleton, adds: “All the water was bottled. Due to the heat and no fridges, we drank hot water for six months!”

Yet there were spectacular sights. Without the background glare of streetlamps or lights from traffic or buildings, the stars stand out incredibly clearly.

“It’s probably the clearest I’ve ever seen the sky in my life,” Tony says. “You just lie there looking at the stars for hours.”

And yet after hot, dry terrain he missed the cool, wet climate of home. “I remember the first time it rained after I got back, I just sat in my garden topless, because I hadn’t felt rain for seven months.

“My mam thought I was daft, banging on the kitchen windows telling me I’d catch my death. But I couldn’t care less, I was enjoying the rain.”

The experience doesn’t leave the soldiers. Tony also finds: “You have your moments where it’ll come back and bite you and you’ll have the night terrors and the nightmares and you’ll have the moments you think about it and get a bit of a fast beating of your heart.

“The experience doesn’t define you but it’s a good chapter in your life. If your life was a book, it would be one of the more exciting parts, but it’s not the whole book.

“You’ve still got a story to go.”

Since the idea for the exhibition came about. its nature has changed slightly, Jules explains.

This year is the centenary of the Third Afghan War, when Afghanistan fought for independence from the British Empire. And the Border Regiment, forerunners of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, were involved in the conflict.

“We thought it would be interesting to link the Border Regiment in 1919 with the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment in Afghanistan.

“That was the idea, but what we found very quickly was that the modern side was much bigger. We wanted to use what people sent in, and it was extremely powerful.”

The further into the past events recede, the harder it is to find first-hand material or accounts. But Afghanistan is well within living memory and eye-witness accounts like those in the exhibition are a valuable resource, and so the museum is keen to collect more memories of those who served there.

Anyone who wants to share theirs can visit www.cumbriasmuseumofmilitarylife.org/whats-on/afghanistan/ or phone 01228 532774.

n Blood, Sweat and Tears is open every day between 10am and 6pm. Admission costs £4.50 for adults, £3.50 for over-60s, students, disabled people, unemployed people and serving soldiers, and £2.50 for children. A family ticket costs £11.

It is free to children under five, English Heritage members and those currently serving in the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.