Trench Warfare Patten/Valdner

How were portrayals of life in the trenches back home and the reality of fighting different?

Exposure to the elements

Mud & water

A Soldier's Day in the Trenches The days in the trenches were always the same for the soldiers. You may think that it would be exciting, but the only excitement they got was when there was fighting, and it was not much fun knowing they could be killed. In this section I will take you through a typical day in a trench, starting at dawn. The days in the trenches were always the same for the soldiers. You may think that it would be exciting, but the only excitement they got was when there was fighting, and it was not much fun knowing they could be killed. In this section I will take you through a typical day in a trench, starting at dawn. At this time, the order "stand down" was given. This meant that the threat of a night raid was past. It also meant that the men could get on with preparing their breakfast. At this time, the order "stand down" was given. This meant that the threat of a night raid was past. It also meant that the men could get on with preparing their breakfast.

Around mid-morning, most men were busy working on trench maintenance and other jobs. One very important job was to repair any damage to the trench. Trenches were damaged by the weather (heavy rain etc.), and enemy fire. They often needed deepening, widening and strengthening, and new support and communication trenches always seemed to be needed. They also filled sandbags, carried supplies, ran errands (these were done all day) and cleaned their rifles and machine guns. This was vital to stop them jamming. There was also a medical check each day. The condition "Trench Foot" was a major problem, caused by constantly standing in water and mud. The soldiers' feet were permanently wet. Officers had to check the men dried their feet, rubbed oil in, then put on dry socks every day, but as their feet got wet again almost straight away, this wasn't much help.

Every afternoon from 2 to 4pm, the German artillery bombarded the allied trenches, but as long as the parapet was in good repair, the machine gun fire was not much of a problem. The soldiers took cover in their dug-outs. In the evening, most men settled down to catch as much sleep as they could. Most were disturbed by the cold, rats or false alarms of attacks. Few slept for more than 3 or 4 hours. Sentries had to watch for the enemy attacking in the dark. Every life depended on them. For others, the night meant more repairs to the trench (which was dangerous in case the enemy sentries heard or saw them), or an observation patrol into No- man's Land to capture prisoners or try to overhear enemy plans. Once dawn arrived, the whole process began again.

Despite being on the front line, there were many days that the soldiers didn't have much to do, apart from their daily jobs. The days were very monotonous and passed very slowly. Boredom was a big problem. Some read to pass the time. Others smoked, played chess, and wrote letters home. These letters were heavily censored, and anything that was thought to be too risky if it got into enemy hands was scrubbed over with a thick pencil until it was unreadable. Many kept diaries, but this was against the official rules because they could give away valuable secrets if enemy raiders found them.