How did it feel to be in the trenches?

How did it feel to be in the trenches?

Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed. These conditions caused some soldiers to develop medical problems such as trench foot. In the middle was no man’s land, which soldiers crossed to attack the other side.

What was daily life like in the trenches?

Individuals spent only a few days a month in a front-line trench. Daily life here was a mixture of routine and boredom – sentry duty, kit and rifle inspections, and work assignments filling sandbags, repairing trenches, pumping out flooded sections, and digging latrines.

What was sleep like in the trenches?

6. Getting to sleep. When able to rest, soldiers in front line trenches would try and shelter from the elements in dugouts. These varied from deep underground shelters to small hollows in the side of trenches – as shown here.

What would you taste in the trenches?

Soldiers in the Western Front were very critical of the quantity and the quality of food they received. The bulk of their diet in the trenches was bully beef (caned corned beef), bread and biscuits. For example, soldiers often complained that their tea tasted of vegetables. Providing fresh food was also very difficult.

Did trenches have toilets?

Soldiers lived in the trenches when fighting during WW1, it was muddy, noisy and pretty basic. They didn’t have toilets so it was probably a bit stinky too.

What was the trenches like in World War 1?

Trenches—long, deep ditches dug as protective defenses—are most often associated with World War I, and the results of trench warfare in that conflict were hellish indeed. Trenches were common throughout the Western Front.

How long did men stay in the trenches?

A general pattern for trench routine was for a man and his section to spend 4 days in the front line, then 4 days in close reserve and finally 4 at rest, although this varied enormously depending on conditions, the weather and the availability of enough reserve troops to be able to rotate them in this way.

What was a support line in the trenches?

Behind it is another line, similarly made, called a support line. In this would be found ‘dugouts’ cut into the side of the trench wall, often very small but with room for perhaps three or four men to squeeze in for shelter, or for a telephone position for a signaller, or for a Platoon or Company HQ.

How did clothing help soldiers in the trenches?

In addition, various items of clothing were specially designed to camouflage and protect a soldier on patrol, like this suit. It is coloured to match no man’s land, helping the wearer to blend into his environment and making him harder to spot for enemy snipers.