Life in the Trenches by Gathem Carter

stories

1700735_1 — 2025-03-17 12:05:58 UTC

Men told grim stories of those who invited blighty wounds.

wounds

1700735_1 — 2025-03-17 12:08:45 UTC

In 1916 after the rough battles self inflicting wounds became a serious problem.

"stand to"

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In the morning the commander would order a few men to stand guard for the enemies and it it would last 15 minutes.

digging

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men were forced to dig for hours on end to build new Trenches.

pain

1700735_1 — 2025-03-17 12:12:48 UTC

They breathed through gas, they slept with wet towels and got pneumonia.

ALERTS

1700735_1 — 2025-03-17 12:16:09 UTC

sentries' duties during the day was to watch for the telltale cloud that signaled a gas attack. An empty shell casing or other alarm bell hung at the sentry's post for him to alert the trenches.

sickness

1700735_1 — 2025-03-17 12:18:13 UTC

The cooties spread a disease known as trench fever, for which there was no effective treatment until the last year of the war.

no clean water

1500006_1 — 2025-03-17 12:18:43 UTC

the men had almost no clean water, and all of the clean water they did have were kept specifically for drinking

Feet pain

1700735_1 — 2025-03-17 12:20:17 UTC

Boots, puttees, and layers of socks were soaked through to the skin. Trench foot resembled frostbite. The skin turned red or blue, bringing a terrible itching and peeling of the skin. If it went untreated in the filth of the trenches, it could get much worse. Gangrene could set in, requiring amputation of toes or feet.

mud

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there was mud everywhere, and people would step in it, eat it, and sleep in it

buried alive

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If the enemy heard the men digging, they would start firing machine guns and artillery shells, then collapsing the sides of the trench on the men

supplies

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supplies had to be brought in at night by hand to avoid detection

food

1700735_1 — 2025-03-18 10:07:27 UTC

British emergency rations included Maconochie, which was sliced turnips and carrots in a thin broth; cans of port and beans; a sealed can of tea, sugar, and Oxo cubs (bouillon); and finally a slab of hard moldy cheese. British soldiers carried the cheese next to a can of whale oil they used for rifle cleaning, to give the cheese a "sardine" taste.

death sentence

1700735_1 — 2025-03-18 10:10:23 UTC

Penalties were severe for sentries who failed in their duty; in extreme cases, death. A sentry who fell asleep at his post could expect twenty-one days "crucifixion" - for two hours a day he would be strapped in a standing position to a cart wheel or crossed post.

sleeping conditions

1700735_1 — 2025-03-18 10:12:05 UTC

After about three in the morning, unless an attack was planned, the sector began to quiet down. Some men finished their nightly tasks and tried to catch some sleep in a darkened dugout or stretched out on the fire step. A new man noticed that veterans put their overcoats over their faces when they slept. He learned why the first time he was awakened by a rat

no movement

1700735_1 — 2025-03-18 10:15:46 UTC

after reading the mail, the duties for the day began. Better visibility made it more dangerous to move around. Enemy snipers were always watching for movement on the other side.

crowding

1500006_1 — 2025-03-18 11:22:30 UTC

trenches were crowded with many people

long nights

1500006_1 — 2025-03-18 11:23:32 UTC

men were forced to stay up for long nights keeping watch

enemy deception

1500006_1 — 2025-03-18 11:26:23 UTC

the enemy would come over, pretending to be an a member of the group

rats

1500006_1 — 2025-03-18 11:28:12 UTC

people would put coats over there faces to stop rats from walking over their faces while they sleep