What Was Life Like In The What Was Life Like In The Trenches?Trenches?

What Portrayed Life In The Trenches?

Posters commonly urged wartime thrift, and were vocal in seeking funds from the general public via subscription to various war bond schemes (usually with great success).

Life And The Official View Of Life

There were a few people that said going to war was nice as you do not get killed and it is a good experience that you will remember for the rest of your lives, but in real life it was somewhat different as hundreds of people died each day and they might have been up for hours on end without any sleep depending on how the war was going.

What Did The Trenches Look Like?

Trenches were small places for a person to hide from their attackers to feel safer, although these were safer lots of people died in them.

Daily Life In The Trenches

The living conditions in the trenches were extremely harsh. Life in the trenches during the First World War took many forms, and varied widely from sector to sector and from front to front.

How Well Were Soldiers Equipped?

Soldiers went to war equipped with different weapons such as:☺Bayonets☺Flamethrowers ☺Grenades ☺Machine Guns☺ Pistols ☺Poison Gas ☺Rifles ☺Tanks ☺Trench Mortars

A British Soldiers Rations Per Day

☺20 ounces of bread or 4 ounces of oatmeal☺8 ounces of fresh vegetables or 1/10 gill lime☺3 ounces of cheese☺5/8 ounces of tea☺4 ounces of jam or 4 ounces of dried fruit☺Half gill of rum or 1 pint of porter☺20 ounces of tobacco (Max.)☺4 ounces of butter/margarine☺2 ounces of dried vegetables☺1/3 chocolate - optional

A German Soldiers Rations Per Day

☺26 and a half ounces of bread or 17 and a half ounces of field biscuits or 14 ounces of egg biscuit

☺53 ounces of potatoes

☺4 and a half ounces of vegetables

☺2 ounces of dried vegetables

Medical Care

Often in the trenches the soldiers got trench foot. Trench foot was an infection of the feet caused by the wet, cold and insanitary conditions of the trenches. If the men did not take their socks and boots off then this infection would continue making the skin turn red or blue. The treatment for this was for the men to dry their feet and change their socks several times a day, soldiers were also told to cover their feet in grease made from whale oil.

What Did The Soldiers Do When They Were Off Duty?

When the soldiers were off duty they wrote letters to their family these letters informed their families of what was happening. Here is an example of a letter from a soldier to home:

We started away just after dawn from our camp and I think it was about an hour later that we encountered the enemy. They were on the opposite side of the valley and as we came over the brow of the hill they opened on us with rifle fire and shrapnel from about 900 yards. We lost three officers and about 100 men killed and wounded in that half hour. I do not want any more days like that one. (this section censored) Anyway we drove the Germans back and held them there for eight days. I cannot tell you all I should like to, as it would never reach you.

 

German Trenches

The Allies couldn't break the German trench lines and so followed the German example. The trenches on both sides were protected by lines of barbed wire with No-Man's Land in-between.

Poems and Songs From The First World War

Many poems and songs were created at the time of the war describing the trenches and everyday life, some poems/ songs described how they longed for their loved ones and they wondered if they would ever see them again.

A Song Created At The Time Of The First World War

Argonne Forest, at midnight, A sapper stands on guard. A star shines high up in the sky, bringing greetings from a distant homeland. And with a spade in his hand, He waits forward in the sap-trench. He thinks with longing on his love, Wondering if he will ever see her again. The artillery roars like thunder, While we wait in front of the infantry, With shells crashing all around. The Frenchies want to take our position. Should the enemy threaten us even more, We Germans fear him no more. And should he be so strong, He will not take our position. The storm breaks! The mortar crashes! The sapper begins his advance. Forward to the enemy trenches, There he pulls the pin on a grenade. The infantry stand in wait, Until the hand grenade explodes. Then forward with the assault against the enemy, And with a shout, break into their position. Argonne Forest, Argonne Forest, Soon thou will be a quiet cemetery. In thy cool earth rests much gallant soldiers' blood.