Write An Essay About Living In The Trenches

What are trenches? Trenches are a small part of the army. One of the most dangerous places in the army. Why were they there? It gives protection from powerful artillery and firearms. IT was not a new idea it had been used in the U.S civil war, Russian Japanese war, and other wars. It began around September 1914 and ended when the Allies made a attack that began in late July 1918. By November 1914 there were continuous line of trenches covering 400 miles from switzerland to the north sea they had no way to get around. The trenches ran through towns, villages, coal mines, brick yards, across railroad tracks, through farms, across rivers, canals and streams. Each place had its own set of problems/ challenges. In 1915, 1916 and 1917 many trench positions were only held for
a few days. Some were a little more than 18 inches deep. The soldiers could be in there from one day to two weeks. Trenches were dug in zigzag patterns. Rats would eat the soldiers food and when they were sleeping they would sometimes eat them.
What were the Trenches like? Some of them in france were chalky and they were dug easily. The trench sides would crumble after it would rain, so they were built with wood, or sandbags. Rats would also take over the trenches. Often the soldiers would get lice. What was it like to live in them? There were a lot of other men living in the trenches with you. There was not very much space in the trenches with all of the men they tend to get messy. The trenches would be muddy and they would stink They had to smell lime, cordite, Poison gas, sandbags that were rotten, cigarette smoke and they would have to smell cooking food. There were dead bodies buried by the trenches and their bathrooms overflowed into the trenches. Sleep? The soldiers did not get very much rest or sleep if they did it was in the afternoon when it was light out and they only had an hour at a time. They got woke up to fight or do chores. They also made children clean out the trenches and dig them with buckets. It took 450 men to build a trench in six hours. Weapons. Most WW1 soldiers would have a rifle, bayonet and a hand grenade with them when they were fighting in the trenches. The men would have to do
chores around the trenches. They would have to fix up the trenches and make it so they would not collapse during the heavy rain falls and other weather conditions. What did they eat, Where did they get there food? They had 3,240,948 tons of food sent from Britain to the soldiers fighting in france during WW1. The british employed 300,000 workers to cook and get the food for the workers. At the beginning of the war the british soldiers got 10 ounces of meat and 8 ounces of vegetables a day. The army started to grow and they started to only get 6 ounces of meat a day. The british army tried to give the soldiers 3,574 calories a day. Their diet in the trenches were beef it was can corned beef, and bread and biscuits. In the winter of 1916 they were short on flour that bread was made out of dried ground turnips. The main food was a pea soup with a few lumps of horsemeat. They also had to use nettle weeds in soups and stews. “No man’s Land” The “No man’s Land” was the land between the two enemy trenches. Sometimes the land was covered with barbed wire and landmines. The enemy's trenches were about 50 to 250 yards apart. Animals Rats loved the what the trenches were like but the humans hated them. The rats ate the rotting food. Rats could grow really big some even grew the size of cats. They could have up to 900 babies every year. The soldiers wanted to get rid of the rats they tried to kill them in a lot of ways. Some used their guns even though it would waste their ammunition. Others used their bayonets or they would club them with anything they could find. They have even tried to kill them with their bare hands. Sometimes the rats were helpful they said that they sensed an attack from the enemy. THey noticed the rats ran away. Lice The lice would go in there clothes and bodies it made the soldiers itchy and uncomfortable. They were difficult to get rid of because the men could not shower properly in the trenches. Trench Jobs If they were not fighting they still had to something in the trenches. Some would have to take out the waste, some would have to fill up sandbags. Some would put up barbed wire fences to stop the enemy. Feet Standing it the trenches their boots fill with water, sometimes they stink, they get really muddy.