Trench Warfare
What was life like for the average soldier on the Western Front?
Men might have different experiences of life on the Western
Front depending on their rank and role. For example, it was
the job of the Officer to lead night patrols, to organize the men
and to relay orders from High Command. It is said that they
were treated better than ordinary soldiers as they had small
'dug-outs' in trenches where they would eat and sleep, better
food and might be more readily excused from front line duty if
they were wounded or ill.
A typical British officer dugout,
© IWM
Shell-holes often doubled as trenches as the land was repeatedly bombed, © IWM
In general all soldiers followed a basic routine shaped by 'stand-to' at dawn and dusk, when poor
visibility made enemy attacks more likely. In the morning this lasted roughly an hour after
which rifle equipment was cleaned, breakfast served and daily tasks assigned. Tasks might
include repairing duckboards, draining trenches, and reinforcing trench walls damaged by
rainfall. Wherever possible men tried to catch a little rest or attend to more personal matters
such as writing letters home.
It was at evening stand-to that work began in earnest. In this time supplies of food and
ammunition were brought from the rear lines, barbed wire defences were repaired, men were
rescued from no-man's land to be treated or identified, and reconnaissance work was
undertaken. In theory men did a stint in the front line followed by a short spell in support,
before moving to the reserve trenches. After a short rest period the pattern started again. In
reality this system of rotation and leave depended on the demands of battle.
Thinking Point: What do you think was the worst part of trench life?
The boredom and grind of the daily routine was endured in the most appalling living conditions.
For example, apart from the constant threat of enemy snipers, poison gas, shells and machinegun fire there was the difficulty of getting hot food to the front lines, so men had to rely mainly
on basic food rations. These rations consisted of bully beef, tea, hard biscuits and bread, which
was often stale by the time it reached them.
In the winter, the ground was frozen and hard, in autumn
rainfall turned the battlefields and low-lying trenches into mud
baths. In some parts the water reached waist height. This could
cause 'trench foot' where the feet would swell and in some
cases turn gangrenous and need amputating.
Mud was reported to be waisthigh at Passchendaele, © IWM
Captain Ulick Burke MC, wrote:
'The conditions were terrible. You can imagine the agony of a fellow standing for twenty four
hours sometimes to his waist in mud, trying with a couple of bully beef tins to get the water out
of a shell hole that had been converted to a trench with a few sandbags. And he had to stay there
all day and all night for about six days. That was his existence.'
Corpses could not be buried quickly enough, and were often dislodged by shelling, © IWM
Conditions were no better in the spring and summer months when lice, rats and flies thrived.
The rats could grow to the size of cats feeding off men's rations and the plentiful supply of
rotting corpses that were littered around no-man's land. Lice were not only a source of irritation
and discomfort but also carried the threat of trench fever. To make matters even worse there was
an ever-present stench caused by the open latrines, rotting bodies and the chloride of lime used
to combat the threat of disease.
What was it like to go into action on the Western Front?
Unlike previous wars, fighting on the Western Front was characterized by 'trench warfare'. Each side
had developed an elaborate system of reserve and support trenches with the opposing front lines
separated by an area called 'no-man’s land'.
From the beginning both sides hoped for a decisive battle that would end the stalemate and win the
War. It was thought that the only way to achieve this was to kill enough enemy soldiers to force the
other side to surrender.
An offensive would start with a huge onslaught of artillery fire on the enemy line. This was designed to
break down barbed wire defences, blow gaps in the opposing trenches and kill enemy soldiers. On the
commanding officer's whistle soldiers in the front line climbed 'over-the-top' and with bayonets at the
ready they advanced into no-man's land, facing a heavy barrage of shells and machine gun fire as they
went.
'...the Order comes down, 'Cigarettes Out and no noise' and then you know you have not many minutes
to go before the terrible clang starts to assist you in that terrible task you have before you and behold it
is hard! Every man for himself, and not one must shirk his duty, but no never a man thinks of doing
such a thing as that. He knows what he has to do and leave it to him, he will do it with all his heart.
And would you think for one minute that there is a smile on his face? "Yes, there is," and the words
come from his mouth, "Best of luck to you old mate, let's hope you will make a good job of it."'
Pte G Ward, 1916
Over the next four years hope turned to despair as offensive after offensive failed to break the
stalemate and the futility of war became all too apparent.
'One sees things from a different standpoint out here, the seeming uselessness of it, day after day in the
trenches with great exposure, and very little really happening. Of course occasional bombardments and
it is wonderful what men can put up with.'
2nd Lieutenant John Staniforth
In spite of the hardship a spirit of comradeship and high morale did exist in the trenches. As this letter
from Dr. Noel Chavasse, June 6th 1915 shows:
'Last night I had a bad but necessary job. I had to crawl out behind part of the trench and bury three
poor Englishmen. … This is the seamy side of war, but all is repaired in the feeling of comradeship and
friendship made out here. It is a fine life and a man’s job.'
When fear and trauma got the better of some men their behaviour was seen as cowardice or weakness.
Men were court-martialled and, in some cases, shot. This harsh attitude and military discipline no
doubt had an effect on why men continued to fight – they had no other choice. As this extract from
Captain T.H. Westmacott 14th April 1916 shows:
'The man had deserted when his battalion was in the trenches and had been caught in Paris... The
condemned man spent the night in a house about half a mile away. He walked from there blindfolded
with the doctor, the parson and the escort. He walked quite steadily on to parade, sat down in the chair,
and told them not to tie him too tight... On the word "Fire!" the man’s head fell back, and the firing
party about turned at once.'
It was not until later that this 'cowardice' or 'desertion' came to be recognised as a medical condition
called shell-shock.
'One look-out fellow suddenly went chumpy and dashed away. I chased after him into a dugout where I
found him trembling from head to foot. All he could say was "I can’t stand it." Poor devil. He had
shell-shock some time ago.'
Major Schweder, April 1916