MY DIARY FROM THE TRENCHES I am really delighted to wear my uniform, it is the first time I have worn such elegant boots and polished brass buttons on my uniform, all the ladies have been looking at me since.

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MY DIARY FROM THE TRENCHES

        Dear diary,        August 28th 1914

        I Tommy Atkins am so excited. I have new clothes and a new meaning to my life. Propaganda posters everywhere encouraged me, I can’t believe it I am joining the army. When my family came home from a hard labouring day at the factories, their hands were covered in yellow sulphur.  I am really delighted to wear my uniform, it is the first time I have worn such elegant boots and polished brass buttons on my uniform, all the ladies have been looking at me since. I can probably even get married before I go to war. It will be such an adventurous journey but there is a chance I could die. I know the war will be over by Christmas because this war is over something so little. If men like us didn’t go to war then we will be given a feather to represent our cowardness; and I will not be considered as a coward. I am the man in this man family and I will serve my duty to this country.  

                                                                                             September 3rd 1914

Dear diary,

        The closer the day comes the more nervous I get, I hear my mum crying every night scared that she may lose me in this fight. The war has just started around 1 month ago and already I see everything being rationed, but I shouldn’t think about this I am leaving tomorrow.

Dear diary,        September 4th 1914

Today is the day, I am leaving today. My family and I walked together to the platform to say good bye. I had to leave in the middle of drinking my tea since I was called up early. I hugged my mum and my dad as tightly as possible, hoping I will see them again.  I jumped into the train and sat down. My sister held my hand through the window as the train slowly started to move. I saw tear drops dripping from her cheeks and the last words I said to her were ‘I will come back’.

Dear diary,        September 5th 1914

As soon as I arrived I was taken along with some other soldiers straight to training base. I was then I realised being a soldier was not an easy thing. Britain needed more soldiers in the frontline so the general ‘Herbert Kitchener’ sent me and some other soldiers to the frontline. I met some really nice people John and Charlie. The trenches aren’t what I thought they would be. My first day in the trenches was horrible there was always a very nasty stench that aroused the whole trench. It is night time and hardly anyone is asleep, all I hear is the gunshots of the belligerent Germans. I don’t think I will be getting enough sleep tonight.

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 Dear diary,        September 6th 1914

I woke up really early today at 5.am. It rained last night and trenches are filled with freezing water up to knee length. A soldier who arrived many days before I did had this thing called trench foot, it was absolutely disgusting. His foot was swollen and then his friend pierced it with a Bayonets and he didn’t feel anything. Loads of soldiers died right in front of my eyes and I didn’t really like it. The trenches were made out of sandbags and had barbed wire around it to protect it. They were in an unusual ...

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