WWI
Life in the
Trenches
The Trench System
• Trenches were often built in
angles with many dead ends
called traverses to confuse the
enemy, should they stage a
raid.
• Short trenches called saps
were dug into No Man’s Land
in order to be able to hear the
enemy
Problems Facing Troops in the Trenches
A day in the life...
• Trench cycle: Should be 6
days on frontlines, 6 days
on reserve and 20 days
rest
Reality: dependant on
necessity (severity of the
fighting) and location
Per year: 70 days on the
front, 30 in support, 120 in
reserve. ONLY 70 DAYS
SPENT IN REST
Attacking from the Trenches
“An officer wanted to know how near the
enemy was, and would not believe Bird when
he told him. He decided to take a quick look
over the parapet. Bird shouted, ‘Don’t!’ But
he was too late. A bullet went right through
the officer’s head.”
-Will R. Bird, writing about a German sniper
Life in the Trenches
Life in the Trenches
“Whilst asleep during the night, we were frequently awakened
by rats running over us. When this happened too often for
my liking, I would lie on my back and wait for a rat to linger
on my legs; then violently heave my legs upwards, throwing
the rat into the air. Occasionally, I would hear a grunt when
the rat landed on a fellow victim.” (R. L. Venables)
“The water in the trenches through which we waded was
alive with a multitude of swimming frogs. Red slugs crawled
up the side of the trenches and strange beetles with
dangerous looking horns wriggled along dry ledges and
invaded the dugouts, in search of the lice that infested them.”
(unknown journalist)
Diseases in the Trenches
Trench Foot
•Trench foot is a medical condition caused by
prolonged exposure of the feet to damp,
unsanitary and cold conditions – it can cause
the flesh between and around the toes to rot
•If trench foot was left untreated, it could
become gangrenous and need to be
amputated.
Trench Foot
“If you have never had trench foot described to you, I
will explain. Your feet swell to two to three times their
normal size and go completely dead. You can stick a
bayonet into them and not feel a thing. If you are lucky
enough not to lose your feet and the swelling starts to
go down, it is then that the most indescribable agony
begins. I have heard men cry and scream with pain and
many have had to have their feet and legs amputated. I
was one of the lucky ones, but one more day in that
trench and it may have been too late.” (Harry Roberts)
Soldiers put Whale
Oil on their feet in
an attempt to
prevent Trench
Foot.
Left: German powder
Right: American powder
Bottom: “housewife”
Duckboards
•Most of the land on the Western Front was only a
couple of feet above sea level.
•As soon as soldiers began to dig trenches they
would find water just below the surface.
•Constantly standing in water caused trench foot and
other ailments.
•In an attempt to alleviate the problem, wooden
planking, known as duckboards, were placed at the
bottom of trenches and across other areas of muddy
or waterlogged ground.
Trench Mouth
•Trench mouth is a bacterial infection of the gums that
results from poor oral hygiene, stress and smoking
•Symptoms are: bleeding gums, ulcers and gradual
decomposition of the jaw
•When not treated, trench mouth can spread to the cheeks,
lips or jawbone seriously damaging bone and gum tissue.
•Trench mouth can also enter the blood stream and spread
to other parts of the body.
•Trench mouth makes eating and swallowing food painful, it
often results in weight loss
Trench Fever
• Trench Fever is a disease spread by body lice
carrying bacteria
•Soldiers would catch this disease by being bitten
by “infected” lice
•Symptoms: high fever, headache, sore muscles,
and outbreaks of skin lesions
Life in the Trenches
• Soldiers, after about a month in the trenches, were
allowed to go to the rear for some sleep, to clean
up, and be in a dry place
At the age of 92, Arthur Savage was asked about
his memories of life on the Western Front.
“My memories are of sheer terror and the horror
of seeing men sobbing because they had trench
foot that had turned gangrenous. They knew
they were going to lose a leg. Memories of lice in
your clothing driving you crazy. Filth and lack of
privacy. Of huge rats that showed no fear of you
as they stole your food rations. And cold deep
wet mud everywhere. And of course, corpses. I'd
never seen a dead body before I went to war.
But in the trenches the dead are lying all around
you. You could be talking to the fellow next to
you when suddenly he'd be hit by a sniper and
fall dead beside you. And there he’d stay for
days.”
Otto Dix:
War Art
Trenches 1917
Dance of Death
1917
Self Portrait As a Target 1915
Otto Dix:
War Art
Shell Hole
Flowers
Shellshock
• One of the tremendous stresses from being in
trench warfare was the constant firing of
weapons and artillery and threat of death
• This became known as Shellshock, and
soldiers would have nervous breakdowns and
have to be hospitalized when they returned
home
• Video: Shell Shock and the Case of Harry Farr
“Go out and meet death bravely”
Video Clip
Canada: A People’s History (DVD)
Ordeal By Fire
Chapter 4
(~9 mins)