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The First World War started in August 1914. It would last for more than four years, and
kill about nine million people in uniform. The world would never be the same. The men
old enough to fight are then going to be the first ones to be propelled in this war which
seems inevitable but which as by mutual agreement will be short.
How was the soldiers' life in the trenches during the First World War?
In this small documentary, we shall analyze the various factors which make the life of
the soldiers who live in the trenches every day dreadful.
The Diseases
Not only did soldiers die from battle wounds or rifles in the war, they also died because
of diseases that widely spread in the trenches. Many of these diseases were caused as result
of weather change, lack of hygiene and the tainted environment. Some diseases were as
small as an innocent cold. There was no sanitation. Diseases were rife
such as dysentery and trench foot. There was no relief for front line troops for weeks
on end.
The Weather
In summer the trench was exposed to the hot sun and in winter to pouring rain and snow.
The rain filled up the trench and water seeped in through the sides leaving the troops up
to their knees in thick, stinking mud that made any movement difficult.
Rat Infestation
Rats in their millions infested trenches. Gorging themselves on human remains, they
could grow to the size of a cat.
Men, exasperated and afraid of these rats, attempted to rid the trenches of them by various
methods: gunfire, with the bayonet, and even by clubbing them to death.
It was futile however: a single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year,
spreading infection and contaminating food. The rat problem remained for the duration
of the war.
Lice and Nits
Lice were a never-ending problem, breeding in the seams of filthy clothing and causing
men to itch unceasingly.
Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained
hidden in the seams; within a few hours of the clothes being re-worn, the body heat generated
would cause the eggs to hatch.
Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain
followed by high fever.
Many men chose to shave their heads entirely to avoid another prevalent scourge: nits.
The Smell
• Rotting carcases lay around in their thousands. For example, approximately 200,000 men were
killed on the Somme battlefields, many of which lay in shallow graves.
• Men who had not been afforded the luxury of a bath in weeks or months would offer the
pervading odor of dried sweat. The feet were generally accepted to give off the worst odor.
• Add to this the smell of the lingering odor of poison gas
Psychological effects
The nearness of death, the fear of it and smell of it, the horrific sights of shattered
bodies, the screams of friend cut in half and the constant shelling combined to send
many men insane either at the time or later in life. Some men cracked under the pressure
of being under fire, and had nervous breakdowns; some committed suicide.
Depression was common. "Shell Shock" is a very loose term which can encompass a lot
of symptoms, including flashbacks, instinctive reactions (for example, ducking when hearing
a loud ***), tremors, loss of control over bodily functions, impaired movement, etc.
Nevertheless, the soldiers stood firm for various reasons:
- The faith (crucifix) - The correspondence with the family through
letters - The patriotism (propaganda)
- The food
Life in the trenches of the First World War was one of the most horrific experiences endured
by soldiers throughout known history of warfare. It was a static form of war where neither
side gained much for months on end yet men and resources continued to be thrown into
these theatres of war in the hopes of gaining a precious few hundred yards of strategic
ground.