I got a message from the communication trenches, It was Barry and he and I was together since we were little, and we were classmates. He got buried in earth by bombs.
I don’t have many friends now I feel more and more lonely. As more died new faces in the trenches started to show. The inexperienced soldiers with their brave faces went into the trenches not knowing what lies ahead. Some of these men never came back and when some did they were severely injured with limbs missing and bloody faces. The images flash through my mind I fear that will become of me I pray to god that this war will be over so we can all go home. I feel sorry to those who got shot because they ran away. They were classified as cowards but in a way each and everyone one of us was scared of dying. I am going to sleep now it’s a house full of bunk beds, the bombs can still be heard from a distance, this is an end to my day off and tomorrow I will serve for my country at the front line once again.
3rd September 1915
I have grown tired and stressed with all the fighting kill and all these goddamn bombs around me.
I feel lucky to be alive all my close friends have all died; I can feel my eardrums rip with every explosion that rips the earth.
Today I saw a soldier being carried out of the trenches it seems he suffered from “Shell Shock” he was quiet and twitching his eyes and his hand shook violently. In other words he was like a zombie and while he was being carried out he screamed as if he was in pain it was the bombing and the gun shots, he had been mentally destroyed.
I try as hard as possible to stay alive, to not lose my mind.
The “Gas Mask” which I heard of, was being issued to every soldier in war. I kept it close to me all times.
It was hot and smelly and dusts forms as explosions rip through the ground making us cough.
Rats were running through trenches and they eat our food and urinating on our food. I did not eat the infected food as I heard that it caused diseases to spread and if u got ill your chances of staying alive was very minimum.
Flies were everywhere 20 were on my wrists and loads of dead ones in the bucket of water. I find it very disgusting that 50 men have to share one gallon of water. I feared of drinking infected water so I made sure I got to the water first.
By now my hearing had nearly all gone, I am the only one alive out of everyone I know, many are dead I still morn those, brave or coward. I can say one thing, there was no sense of comradeship in the trenches, it was tension, the fear of being blown up to pieces buried, the fear of gas and the Germans charging.
I must sleep now or try to anyway.
18th December 1917
My will to keep alive is terror, after 2 years of serving Britain I am still fighting, close to death and I escaped it.
We had a new weapon it was the TANK it was a big heavy armored thing with flat wheels that could go on any terrain; it could withstand number of bullets and crushed the German barbed wire. Men stood behind it and attacked when close enough.
It was 3 days ago when a gas attack was launched at my trench we saw it coming and we put our gas masks on. One of the guys in my trenches couldn’t put his on it got hung hitched on his neck, he died shortly not being able to breathe, his eyes were still open. I did not let this get to me; I had to stay strong so I kept on thinking of my family awaiting my return. And bomb went off close by I was yards from being buried in earth and it started raining the trenches started to flood up to knee level.
I heard something called “Trench Foot” it was due to large exposure to water and it would cause skin to come off and the foot would swell twice it size then go NUMB COMPLETELY.
And they would feel unbearable pain. By this time everybody had to have their feet checked the trenches were very cold and loads of people suffered from frostbite. People lost fingers and toes, which mean they couldn’t fight any more. I made sure I would survive and made every effort to.
Mines were laid at no-mans land, Tanks mines mostly.
Lice which used to crawl all over the bodies of soldiers place have all died because of the freezing cold. A bed wasn’t a bed, a matter of digging in the earth and over from cold and sleep on the mud, wasn’t pleasant when it was wet and muddy. You couldn’t sleep but you had to stay alive.
5th January 1918
Britain has been in war for 4 year now and I have been through hell. I still remember the major loss at the battle of Somme, I cant believe 1.75 people died. I curse the generals who told those 60,000 souls who walked and then to be shot down like dogs. But I guess it was vital to my existence today, they tested weapons on that battle which make our equipment more accurate more powerful.
At this time my hearing is very bad and shouting all the time. I have to write about the food here, its not the best but its war what do u expect?
Breakfast was bread and jam or porridge.
Lunch was bully beef, stew and a hard biscuit.
Tea was Bread and jam.
The food was always somehow squash and crushed and had bits in them, maybe because of the poor guy having to carry them up to the trenches by foot.
I had seen people die, dying hear people screams while they were shot at, I have buried countless soldiers. Everyone I once knew is dead, all I hope is this war will end I really do.
At nighttime a team of men would go out of the trenches and fix the barbed wire and men would sneak undetected to the German trenches and throw grenades.
I really hope all this will be over; this is a never-ending nightmare I wish I could end it. I love my wife and children, but im afraid I will never see them ever again. I will end this all now.
Perry was in my trench at this night when he put a bullet through his head, may he rest in peace.
