The Conditions of the Trenches and The Hardships faced by WWI Soldiers. by AN - 10SS 1033270 Applewood Heights SS https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2 en-us 2022-10-05 16:39:52 UTC 2022-10-07 21:14:52 UTC hello@padlet.com The Conditions and Hardships living in the Trenches 10332701 https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2327938417 2022-10-05 16:42:54 UTC https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2327938417 Diseases 10332701 https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331276542 Diseases were common in the trenches. Soldiers would get infected by the people and surroundings around them:

  • Unsanitary environment conditions were one of the ways people contracted diseases. It was very filthy in the trenches, and soldiers had no way to clean themselves because they had to focus on the war. As a result, soldiers slowly caught diseases and passed them onto others.
  • Soldiers who stayed in wet conditions for long periods of time developed trench foot, which is a disease that causes your feet to turn black and infects all over your body. People who developed this illness would have to get their legs amputated so it wouldn’t get more severe
  • Other ways soldiers contracted diseases were from small animals. Animals of a small size carried diseases from dirty areas and spread them on to others. For instance, lice can spread trench fever, a fatal illness that could cause fever, weakness, dizziness, headache and severe pain.
  • Another common illness in the trenches was Shell Shock, which is a psychological condition that is caused when a soldier is constantly exposed to loud explosions or shootings. Soldiers who suffered from this illness did not listen to the orders they were given because their brains were affected.
]]> 2022-10-07 16:44:34 UTC https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331276542 No Warmth and Less Cleanliness 10332701 https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331276992
  • The trenches were a horrible place to be in and considered uninhabitable by humans.
  • The trenches did not provide any warmth, so soldiers lived uncomfortably in a cold, muddy, and damp environment. 
  • Soldiers who stayed long in these dirty wet conditions would develop trench foot, and their wounds would become infected. 
  •  Due to the war, soldiers had a difficult time keeping themselves clean, which made it easier to receive and transmit diseases. Even if they tried to wash themselves, it would be very difficult for them to do so since it's hard to do it in the trench environment.

    • ]]>     2022-10-07 16:44:53 UTC https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331276992     Patrolling No Man's Land 10332701 https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331277511 Men are often tasked to patrol No Man’s Land. This job can be very dangerous, as warfare takes place in that area, and being too close can result in death. 

    • Barbed wire was repaired or added to the front line by some soldiers 
    • Other soldiers would listen to the enemy's plans and take action accordingly
    • No Man's Land was sometimes patrolled by the opposing side as well. As a result, they had the option of retreating or fighting hand-to-hand. They cannot use their handguns as this would alert the whole patrol team.   
    ]]>     2022-10-07 16:45:19 UTC https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331277511     Rat Infestation 10332701 https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331277703 Living in the trenches is a very horrible experience, but from a rats perspective, it's a paradise. The trenches provided them with food (from leftover rations and dead soldiers), water, and a shelter.
    • The most common types of rats are brown and black rats. Despite being unfavored, the brown rat was the most feared.
    •  Brown rats were known to devour human husks, can grow up to the size of a cat and produce 900 offspring per year. 
    • A great deal of rats were filthy and carried diseases found in the environment, which were then passed from soldiers to soldiers. Rats also infected the rations the soldiers saved up, which led to food contamination and food poisoning (if people ate it).
    • A lot of rats roamed around No Man's Land, because there were a lot of dead corpses there
    • Some soldiers ended up seeing rats on their faces after a nap.

    Because of how rats were such an annoyance and a threat among soldiers, many would try to kill them with their weapons or beat them to death. 

    ]]>     2022-10-07 16:45:28 UTC https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331277703     Death in the Trenches 10332701 https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331278095
  • Death was something that happened frequently in the war. Many soldiers died bravely in the front lines, but there are other factors that cause death in the trenches:
  • Men were killed by shells fired continuously from enemies in busy areas. These attacks may affect individuals who were lying around in the trenches or sheltered in dugouts. It was terrifying for many soldiers to think they could be killed suddenly by a sniper or a shelbomb attack.
  • Soldiers who crossed into No Man's Land alone were likely to die because enemies could shoot them instantly or because of the muddy puddles that covered the area.
  • Food shortages were common in the trenches, especially during the winter, which led to famines.
  • Many bacteria, parasites, and viruses lingered in the trenches, which decreased the number of soldiers on the front lines. Common diseases that people catch in the trenches include influenza, typhoid, trench foot and trench fever. 

    • ]]>     2022-10-07 16:45:45 UTC https://padlet.com/10332701/8iumgddoj6hcc2/wish/2331278095