This KS3 History quiz asks questions about the First World War. On the Western Front, the First World War was fought from trenches. These trenches stretched from the English Channel right the way across France to Switzerland. That was a distance of 400 miles. Conditions in the trenches was not pleasant for the soldiers. They were often cold and wet, moving around in mud, pestered by rats and fighting disease as well as the enemy. In some places, the trenches were a few tens of metres apart and it was possible to hear the enemy talking and smell what they were cooking!
Legend has it that on Christmas Day 1914 British and German soldiers left their trenches for a friendly game of football - a truce that was very short-lived. No-one can be sure that match ever took place but there were several sections of the Front where the fighting stopped for a few hours and the two opposing sides sang Christmas carols. In other places, the fighting continued. During the rest of the war, the British Generals prohibited their soldiers from showing any friendliness towards the Germans. The Pope had already suggested there should be a Christmas truce but that was officially rejected by military commanders.
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You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - World War One
In Belgium - it slowed down the German advance
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They were the first British troops at the front line and were professional soldiers
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The Germans were forced to retreat by this counter-attack by the British and French troops
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Trenches were dug from Belgium to Switzerland
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There were several big battles in and around Ypres and not many buildings were still standing by the end of the war
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An infection called trench foot could result in amputation
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When they attacked each other, the soldiers had to leave the relative safety of their trenches to try to cross no man's land
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Ypres is a Belgian town near the French border. The third battle is also referred to as Passchendaele
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A lot of soldiers were instantly cut down by enemy gunfire as they climbed out of the trenches
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Used first by the Germans but others retaliated with it
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