What was life like in the trenches?

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History Assessment

 

Before the war began it was long anticipated. Friction between the main powers in Europe had been building. When the war finally came about any feelings against the war disappeared and many people saw England as being the saviour of Europe fighting the evil Germany.  Men rushed to the recruitment offices in frenzy to share a little bit of patriotism. If only they had for seen the brutal reality of trench warfare, and the mass loss of life that it caused.

What was  life like in the trenches?

Life and conditions in the trenches

        Trench warfare is simply the fighting in trenches. The things that the soldiers had to do and the way they lived and fought was horrible it seems.  

When the word “war” is said one tends to think of death. Death by artillery, bombs etc. But in fact particularly in the case of the 1st World War many soldiers died from the life and conditions they faced in the trenches. These 2 factors go hand in hand. The conditions in the trenches created the life soldiers in the trenches lived.                                                                                                  Most of the soldiers were split into groups. A battalion of their county- 1000 men, then into a company of 240 men down to a platoon which had 60 men in it or a section which was just 14 men. The soldiers had routine jobs that they had to do such as filling the sand bags, latrines and getting supplies. The soldiers standard of life was partly decided by the weather. Rain was the soldiers most hated weather as the horrors it would bring with them were surprisingly  awful. Trench foot – an infection of the feet which was caused by wet, unclean conditions. In the trenches men would stand for hours in flooded trenches caused by the rain  without taking their wet boots or socks off. The feet would slowly go numb and the skin would turn red or blue. This is picture of what trench foot did to one mans feet.

If trench foot was untreated it could turn gangrenous and could cause amputation. Trench foot was a big problem in the early stages of the war . In just the winter of 1914 to 1915 over 20,000 British  soldiers were treated for trench foot. There was just one cure for trench foot- to dry there feet and change there socks 2 or 3 times a day. The trench foot situation caused all British soldiers to have 3 pairs of socks which they were to change at least twice a day and they had to cover there feet with whale oil. Sergeant Harry Roberts describes trench foot as causing ‘ intolerable, indescribable agony’. The British army loosed many soldiers to trench foot.  Trench foot was a common hurdle in the soldiers lives.

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          Another discomfort of trench life were the lice. One soldier described them as “ pale fawn in colour, and they left blotchy red bite marks all over the body”. They also gave of a smell of something that is stale. Different methods were used to get rid of them for example a lighted candle although  this was difficult as you could easily set your clothes a light. The lice, as well as causing scratching carried disease. This disease didn’t kill although it did cause about 15% of all illness in the army.                                                Worse than the itchy lice however were the ...

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