Trench Warfare: Introducing Trenches

Snipers in the trenches.

Trenches were an unexpected part of war for thousands of soldiers. With both sides digging themselves underground, a long war with lack of movement was inevitable. Over 200 000 men died in the trenches during WW1. Most died during battle, however, many of them also died from diseases and infections from the unsanitary conditions in the trenches.

The mud filled trenches brought with them death, disease, mutilated limbs, lice, rats, maggots, frogs, slugs, and insects. Rats crawled about the trenches in millions. They gorged on human remains and could grow to the size of a cat. Lice were also a major problem for the men. They bred in dirty clothing and the nits would stay attached to the clothes even after they’d been washed. Lice could then cause ‘Trench Fever’, a disease that started with severe pain followed by a fever that could take up to 12 weeks to recover from away from the trenches. These insanitary conditions also brought with them what was known as ‘trench foot’. Trench foot was a fungal infection which eventually led to the amputation of the foot. The number of people with trench foot gradually decreased.

Some men spent their spare time in the trenches making
ornaments and trinkets. These are now quite popular
and are known as 'trench art'.

Although soldiers in the trenches were allowed to send letters home, any information of their location was censored by the ministry of defence. This resulted in the soldiers writing in ‘codes’. For example, if a soldier wrote reminiscing of a trip to Blackpool, the family would know that he was in Blackpool, France.

The trench cycle involved
- being in the front line for a short period of time
- some time in the support lines
- a period as a reserve soldier
-rest

A typical trench cycle was approximately 2 weeks in the front lines, a week in the support, 2 weeks in reserve and 1 week at rest.