The experiences of First World War soldiers

Between 1914 and 1918, much of the fighting in World War took place in trenches. The map below shows you where the trenches were

Below is a side view the trenches on both sides...

From the slides, write down the dangers the soldiers faced

Here is the view inside the trench which the soldiers defend

A photograph of the trench. Magnify the image and look

The photograph shows you soldiers under attack

At 4 - 15 the whistles blew. Then men in the front - line went over the top. Another scramble and we went over the top and sprinted across the field… We were constantly covered by debris from the shells… nothing could be done for the wounded (A World War One soldier remembers)

Above, soldiers going over the top. Below soldiers in the enemy trench

An aerial view of what the soldiers had to get over.

Photographs showing French soldiers running across No Man’s Land

British soldiers were instructed that they were to walk across

Scenes of No Man’s Land Between the lines was no man’s land…Machine guns raked the desolate ground searching for enemy patrols… the uproar seldom stopped and the number of men involved was countless… Nobody appeared to be fighting.. Yet the casualties went on at about 7,000 each day. ( “In Flanders Field” by L. Wolff)

Chlorine gas produces a flooding of the lungs… the effects are splitting headaches and terrific thirst. Drink water and you die straight away… slowly you cough up a greenish froth of the stomach and lungs

There were problems with gas

There was no protection for some

British soldiers in 1918

Inside the trenches was difficult. Opposite is a German trench

Daily routine was similar. Half an hour before sunrise everyone stood on the firestep in case there was an attack. After sentries were posted and the men ate breakfast. The meal was followed by inspection. Then the day was one of routine, mostly keeping the trenches in good repair. This continued until another “stand to” at dusk. Finally the rations arrived and the day was over

Soldiers faced a real problem with rats. They fed off the food and scraps and dead bodies. Below is a picture of picture of the number of rats caught after fifteen minutes chase by a dog in a trench

The area was invested by rats. They grew fat on the food that they stole from us, and anything they could pick up in or around the trenches; they were bloated. One night a rat ran across my face. Unfortunately my mouth was open and the hind legs of the filthy beast went right in . (Stuart Dolden, a soldier remembers)

Food preparation for soldiers

Food did not vary much. It was usually bread and biscuits, with tins of “bully beef” to heat. This was a bit like modern corned beef. The army biscuits were so hard that the troops had to hit them with bayonets to break them.

Trench foot was started by standing for long periods in mud and water. The feet would swell and go numb for a few days. They would begin to rot. Sometimes the feet had to be cut off.

Official Army orders.

The following should be washed every day

•feet and toes

•the armpits.

Socks get dirty and some men continue to wear one pair for a week

In the trenches, keeping clean was a big problem but very important