1. Life in the Trenches

2. World War I Erupts The First World War erupted in the summer of 1914.
At first, the war brought optimism as hundreds of thousands of people volunteered for duty.

3. A Continuous Front
For a while both sides attempted to beat the other but they were unable to get a lasting victory
The trenches spread from the North Sea to the Swiss Frontier
The allies soon realized they could not move past this line so both sides began to dig in

4. Stalemate
In the West the Germans decided they must hold on to parts of France and Belgium that they occupied
They were ordered to dig trenches to protect them from the advancing French and British troops
The trenches were about 6 feet deep and 6 feet wide and had deep dugouts that housed lots of soldiers

5. Life in the Trenches
As soon as soldiers began to dig, they would find water a few feet below the surface
Soldiers did not spend all their time in the trenches but as time went on and when the army was short of men it was not uncommon to spend 30 days in the trenches

6. Trench Layout and Weapons
Trenches on the Western Front were protected by thick barbed wire to protect the enemy from advancing
No Man’s Land was the area between the two opposing sides, averaged about meters
The most common artillery were guns but also large weapons were also used such as the German “Big Bertha”

7. Conditions in the Trenches
Apart from being cold, hungry and wet most of the time, soldiers suffered from a variety of problems during the war.
Rats, lice, dysentery, trench foot made life in the trenches horrific and impossible to forget
Food was limited to bully beef (canned corned beef), bread and biscuits

8. Trench Foot and Shell Shock
Many soldiers suffered from tench foot, which was an infection of the feet cased by cold, wet and unsanitary conditions
If trench foot was left untreated, the foot of the soldiers would have to be amputated
Shell shock symptoms included tiredness, irritability, and lack of concentration and headaches
Eventually these men suffered mental breakdowns which made it impossible for them to serve on the front line

9. Results of the war
The war resulted in more than 9 million people dead and more than 20 million people wounded
Some survivors would share their experience through art and literature but others would choose to share it with no one