The routine of trench life was strict and well maintained men had to wake up half an hour before dawn and ‘stand to’ meaning standing on the fire step with the rifle ready in case of an attack. Men slept in either underground dugouts or funk holes, which were carved out spaces at the side of the trench, where they could escape from the rain and wind. Some soldiers would be on fire step duty for the day, whereas some troops would be chosen for sentry duty. Troops allowed rest would be repairing duckboards, replacing barbed wire, and filling sandbags. The days ended at dusk. Food was surprisingly quite generous, and although the rations became smaller and smaller as the war progressed, the soldier received an average of 4000 calories a day. This included Salterton meet, baked beans, bread, and most importantly for the soldiers, 2 tablespoons of rum. Wounds in the trenches very quickly became septic and amputation was very common in injured soldiers. ‘Rats as big as cats’ were present in tranches, and were unhygienic, spreading diseases and sometimes contaminating food. Lights were common in the faults of clothes, and the itching was a large distraction for troops. Troops sat with each other and used a match to burn away the license from the clothes in a process known as "chatting”. Troops rotated between supports the lines and the front lines every so often, and when troops were away from the fighting, they would retrieve rations, do trench maintenance, and other general work. The troops would rotate between the front lines and reserve lines every so often, but often, frontline troops would stay for weeks on end. Many people were heavily psychologically impacted by the war, by the sight of friends and family dying in front of their eyes, and scarred by the pain and suffering caused by the war. Psychiatry was still in its infancy, and many soldiers were arrested and sometimes shot for deserting. Shellshock was the name for the impact on humans by the war, and many people had this problem. This caused depression and odd behaviour in affected people.
Overall, although trench life was very desirable, and very difficult, the importance of trench warfare in World War I meant that the work of soldiers in the trenches was very important and ultimately lead to the victory by the Allies in the war.
