by Elle Kim

Created on: December 16, 2009

Trenches.

The very word sends shivers up the spines of any surviving family members of the war, and perhaps even the last 3 surviving WW1 veterans. It will even bring ghastly images up for people that have studied about it, watched documentaries about it, etc.

Life in the trenches was devastating and provided no comfort for anyone, especially the poorly-treated soldiers. The definition of trench warfare could be summarized as: The fighting that took place in ditches protected by barbed wire, as in World War 1. This dreadful time of warfare would eventually become a stalemate that had virtually kept the same positions for 4, horrid years, that resulted in appalling living conditions and extremely high casualties.

The daily life of the soldiers was unbearable for many. Soldiers wrote that they quickly became used o the sound of bullets and shells. One soldier wrote "When I am trying to sleep, the exploding shells make it difficult," emphasizing the desperate lack of sleep. Barbed wire was described as "barbarically twisted" and the suffocating atmosphere was intolerable.

The stench was extremely strong, consisting of the smell of dead bodes, human waste, rotting sandbags, etc. It was a constant reminder that there was so much misery around.

Soldiers usually had chores, such as draining the trenches that often became waterlogged after rain filled them up. Soldiers often remarked that when they tried to shovel the water to drain it, they often uncovered dead bodies. Sometimes, water filled to as far up as their necks to a low of knee-deep. Their feet were almost constantly soaked.

Trench foot was a very common occurrence for soldiers that were forced to stand all day in the trenches. It was excruciating, as many were unable to seek efficient treatment. The process was described by Sergeant Harry Roberts of the Lancashire Fusiliers after the war:  "Your feet swell to two or three times their normal size and go completely dead. You could stick a bayonet into them and not feel a thing. If you are fortunate enough not to lose your feet and the swelling begins to go down. It is then that the intolerable, indescribable agony begins. I have heard men cry and even scream with the pain and many had to have their feet and legs amputated."

It was agonizing and eventually, orders told soldiers to change their socks at least twice a day. Many used whale oil. However, it usually made the condition worse because it caused the feet to perspire and therefore absorb more

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