Trench Life looks at those at or near the front line.
When it began, the First World War was expected to be over in a few short months. Thousands of men volunteered to serve and hoped to be home again for Christmas. Little did they know that the war would be locked in a stalemate for four years with minimal advancement of the front line. Faced with such immobility the armies dug trenches in the muddy ground. These trenches, dirty, cold and wet, were to be the temporary homes for millions of young men. But what was it like to live there, in a hole in the earth not far from a deadly enemy army?
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Many sections of the line were under almost constant shellfire which could kill or bury men in the trenches. Another danger was that of being picked off by a sniper if you were to peer over the parapet. Many men died on their first day in the trenches when they took a peek into no man's land
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Lice were a particular problem and caused the disease 'Trench Fever'. Rats were attracted by the poor sanitary conditions and fed on the bodies of the dead. Slugs and beetles also lived in the trenches and frogs were often found in the water at the bottom of a trench
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At the beginning of the war a soldier was entitled to 10 days leave. This was later increased to 14 days but over a period of 15, not 12 months. Even when on leave a soldier was not really able to relax. His friends and family could not understand the horrors he had seen
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One hour before dawn men were ordered to 'stand to' on the fire step of the trench with their weapons aimed towards the enemy positions. This was to guard against any enemy attack which might commence at dawn. The weapons were often fired simply to relieve the tension
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For every 20,000 men 300 gallons of rum were allocated. This was usually reserved for the winter months. Men in the French army received a daily ration of wine and the Germans had brandy
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Latrines were dug, often making use of shell holes. The smell was unpleasant and so containers or buckets were used and then emptied daily into the latrine. Latrines in the foremost trench were, strangely, placed closer to the enemy. This would be an incentive for a man not to take too long relieving himself!
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Such a boring task, performed at night time by weary men, carried the risk of falling to sleep. The punishment if one was found asleep on duty was a court martial followed by execution by firing squad
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Sometimes the patrols would engage in hand-to-hand fighting as the noise of gunfire would attract a hail of bullets from machine guns, but more often than not the two patrols would avoid each other
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In addition to sentry duty and patrols most other activities were done under the cover of darkness. Maintenance work, such as repairing barbed wire, was done although this was still dangerous as the enemy would be watching for any activity. Supplies such as water, food and ammunition were also brought forward from the rearmost trenches at night time. A trench at night was a busy place
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The trenches were filled with many strong odours, few of which were pleasant. Bodies rotting in shallow graves, open latrines full of human waste, men who had not bathed in months and cordite used in weapons were all smells which filled the air. Men new to the trenches are said to have been sick because of the smell, but constant exposure gave immunity to the foul stenches found in their new homes
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