A sniper‘s tree

Snipers‘ trees like this were effective but a sniper would not use it for more than a couple of shots at a time, to avoid

being spotted.

I disliked war in principle, but the war years were the best of my life. No sport can equal the excitement of war; no other

occupation can be half so interesting. 

One soldier's view quoted in D. Winter, Death's Men, 1978

Living through war is living deep. It‘s crowded, glorious living. If I‘d never had a shell rush at me I‘d never have known the swift thrill of approaching death – which is a

wonderful sensation not to be missed. 

Ernest Raymond, Tell England, 1922. Raymond was a soldier in the war.

A dead British soldier, the Somme

By the end of 1917 we couldn't care less who won as long as we could get the war over.

 

A soldier quoted in M. Middlebrook, The First Day of the Somme, 1971

I cursed, and still do, the generals who caused us to suffer such torture, living in filth, eating filth, and then, death or

injury just to boost their ego. 

A soldier quoted in M. Middlebrook, The First Day of the Somme, 1971

Cigarette advertising poster, 1915

To live amongst men who would give their last fag, their last bite, aye, even their last breath if need be for a pal -

that is comradeship, the comradeship of the trenches. The only clean thing to come out of this life of cruelty and filth.

 

A soldier quoted in J. Ellis, Eye-Deep in Hell, 1976

They went with songs to battle, they were young,Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.They were staunch [brave] to the end against odds uncounted:They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWe will remember them. 

Laurence Binyon, a civilian poet