Land Rights, Miners, Offences and Closing Curtains

The land between opposing sides was known as ‘No Man’s Land’. This divider was destroyed by shell fire, and thus, rain and muddy conditions made it extremely difficult to walk in. Behind No Man’s Land was a barbed wire fence, used to defend the front line. Life was tough for men in the front line. Not only did they have to avoid shell fire, but they also had to worry about being hit by their own artillery behind them. Behind the front lines were the reserve trenches, support trenches and long ranged artillery.

Miners in WWI often dug tunnels and placed mines in them in an attempt to destroy the enemy’s trenches, and, within the confusion, attack. At times, soldiers would even dig into the enemy’s tunnels and start an underground fight. Soldiers eventually found several ways to find enemy trenches.

One method was to put one end of a stick through the ground and bite the other to feel the vibrations. Another, was to fill an oil drum with water and listen for any miners.

Although it was easy to enlist for war, things such as desertion, disobedience and casting away arms were not looked well upon. Men were sentenced for things such as cowardice and sleeping on post.

Offence	Number of Sentences	Number of Executions
Desertion	2,004	272
Sleeping at Post	449	2
Cowardice	213	14
Disobedience	120	4
Mutiny	55	15
Casting Away Arms	6	2

It was a distinctly hard life for the men at war, and there were most likely times where they wished they were not in it. They were fed hard rations, and it was considered a luxury to even fill their bellies. Men watched their own countrymen die next to them, even watched bodies being eaten by vermin, and were often helpless against the tide of war – unable to lift a hand, lest they themselves fall prey to the enemy, too.

Sources:

http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/group9/trenchwar.html