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 shape, like a zigzag. I have no idea why that is. My feet were so cold and my socks were damp. We only got one pair of sock; so to dry them we had to put them under our armpits. In the afternoon rats and lice infested the trench frontline. Many soldiers were itching their heads, finding their blood being sucked out by the lice. Rats bit of the front of shoes and left insanitation droppings behind.
Dear diary, December 20th 1914
I have now been in the trenches for about 3 months and the war is nowhere near over. I thought it would be over by Christmas and it’s not. The worst thing is I can’t go home. Last night the Germans attacked us using chlorine green gas, soldiers who didn’t have their gas masks on died and sometimes those who did have them on suffocated themselves to death. The Germans had machine guns and we had no technology that would match to that.
Dear diary, December 21st 1914
Today I was appointed a new role of taking the latrines and emptying it at no man’s land. No man’s land is the space between the two sides’ trenches. It was the most vile and smelliest thing I have done in my life; and at the same time I was terrified that I would get shot. Luckily I got out alive. It was soon Christmas John, Charlie and I stated to play some games since we were of duty. We played cards and I won every time, I guess I have good luck. I cleaned my weapon so whenever I needed it, it would already be cleaned. Suddenly everyone started to shout and to take cover. Shells from bombs were falling on top of us. I was running as fast I could through the water and just managed to make it to shelter with my friend Charlie but John wasn’t so lucky. I saw him die right in front of my eyes; the impact of the shells split his head right open. He had a family; a wife and two kids. I only wish I could have helped him. Every hour in my head I hear his screams it haunts me. Tonight I will pray for him.
Dear diary, December 22nd 1914
I have had enough it’s terrible; I can’t take it anymore. I regret from signing to join, the uniform has no meaning to me now and I don’t want to die. The General allowed me to have a rest from the trenches since I have been in there for a long time. I was allowed to rest for 48 days but then I had to go back I didn’t want to.
Dear diary, February 9th 1915
I have returned; I looked through the trenches to find Charlie but there was no sign of him. Was he dead? I realised that many new weapons had been enrolled while I was away. We had tanks, they were big and didn’t move very fast; they only travelled at 4mph. However their damage impact was gargantuan. Another weapon which was used was the Bayonets; they were like guns but had a spear on the end of it. I was scared to use these. We were allowed to write letters home, but everyone knew they would be censored. They were censored to protect the army because if the enemy intercepted one of these letters they could get the location and plan to the army. Some people would just self-censor them there selves. Today it was so cold and we weren’t allowed to make a fire because of the smoke. Since it smelled of rotting corpses; I would smoke a pipe every day. It would have to be done upside down so the smoke couldn’t be seen. I wasn’t allowed to smoke cigars because that let out a lot of smoke and it can give away out whereabouts.
Dear diary, February 11th 1915
Lack of shelter was becoming a priority in the trenches. Sometimes I would see soldiers sleeping on the duckboards. Duckboards were placed to decrease the number of people getting trench foot. I saw a man crying today and in his hand he had a picture of his family. I went over and told him that everything was going to be alright.
Every night I didn’t know whether I would survive to see daylight. The guy who I tried to comfort a couple days back; today tried to escape. He was caught and brought back to the trench. He was then shot by the firing squad right in the head. This was supposed to warn other soldiers to not run away.
Dear diary, March 14th 1916
Been in the war for a very long time now and I am missing my family. I haven’t got a letter back from them in ages and I wonder If Germany bombed them. A new weapon was used today it was called the early aircrafts. They were used to see the enemies’ position and also to fire. The longer the war continued the weaker I got. There weren’t many soldiers left on the front line. I t was almost a cry for help. I felt exhausted. Many men were injured on frontline and still they have to fight. I have seen 30 people die and the visual memories never go away.
An extract from a letter to my mother.
Mrs. H. Atkins
London road
UK
Dear mum, March 14th 1916
I am missing you a lot mum, but I hope you’re proud of me everything is alright. Some of my friends have died a brave death for fighting for their country. Anyway we drove the Germans back and held them there for eight days; it seems we may come out victoriously. The trenches here are not bad at all, I have made friends and we play cards. The frontline is equipped with many weapons than the Germans so there is no need to worry.
I can’t feel the cold sometimes because I am running about. The food is edible but not that great. I am glad I made the choice of joining the army because I would have never had this great experience.
Send my love to dad and sister
Beloved son Tommy Atkins
Dear Diary, November 11th 1918
The war is over, I think it is. We haven’t fired at the enemy for 5 minutes now, could this be it? Will I finally be able to go home? The generals sent us home; our faces were filled with joy, which was the best memory of the war I had. After spending 4 years in the trenches I can go home.
I arrive at the platform this time to see the smiles on my family’s faces. My sister got married and had a baby they named him after me ‘Tommy’. I was honoured to be an uncle it was great. I walked through the streets of London after four years, and I saw the destruction caused upon it. Houses were burnt down and women were crying by the bodies of their beloved ones. I was just so lucky to be alive. Soldiers being pushed in wheel chairs. Mental people walking all over the place and I guess the war made them crazy with all the killings. Some looked paralysed from their whole body; it was like a living corpse. I was very happy to be home but at the same time it was hard to adjust after living in a trench for four years. It didn’t feel the same. The Allies and the entente realised that the war will not go anywhere so apparently they ended the war and signed a peace treaty. This was called ‘The Armistice’.
Dear Diary November 12th 1918
Last night I could hardly sleep, Soldiers were haunting my dreams. John was telling me something in my dream ‘tell my wife I loved her always’. I didn’t want to let my best mate down so today I am going to find John’s wife and tell her.
5.00pm
I am back; it was such a hard thing to do. Tears rolled down her face and I could see her children were behind her. Some things in life that a person can’t forget. Those children will be fatherless all because of this stupid and unnecessary war between the triple alliance and the triple entente.
Dear Diary November 13th 1918
I keep on wondering what went wrong in the war and it finally came to this. The war started because two prime ministers couldn’t agree on something so simple. I found out that 800,000 bodies have been found so far. That’s just dreadful. Today I went to the hospital to see the men who were wounded; and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Charlie there. He was ok; the general discharged him after his leg got blown off. I was just so happy to see him and he couldn’t believe it that I made it through the whole war. There is 1 main impact for women after the war; which is ‘women are allowed to vote’.
The spirit of the war
The sadness and the happiness
can slowly fade away,
as husbands and fathers
make their way to war.
We will win
The guns and the shouting
in the trenches,
Brings tears upon our faces.
We will win
Our strength our minds,
once combined wins the war.
We fight to serve our country
and will never let the people down.
We will win
Our hearts are as big as the weapons,
that can fight anything
which is put in our way.
We will win
The years come by to an end
as Germany and Britian
stop the feud,
the hunt for the soldiers has begun
as no-one takes the trophy home.
WE ALL HAVE WON!