Trench Warfare

A Description:
The dictionary definition of a trench is: a long, narrow ditch. Trenches are
famous for their use in WW1 on the western front. It was a type of land
warfare that consisted of digging trenches that opposed the enemy with a
gap of no mans land in the middle. The trenches on the Western front
were very long, it was estimated that around 2500km of trenches were
dug during WW1. Although trench warfare had been used previously, it
was most widely used in WW1. Many trenches had layers or lines. Most
of the time they consisted of a 1. Front-line trench 2. Communication
trench and 3. Support trench. These trenches would all be linked. British
guidelines for trench construction say that it took 450 men approximately
6 hours to dig 275 yards of a front-line trench which was approximately 7
feet deep, 6 feet wide. Trenches were not build in straight lines, but in
zigzag patterns. This was useful as if the trench was invaded, they would
not be able to fire directly down as well as providing some safety against
the shells of artillery.
What were they like?:
Conditions in the trenches were shocking. Daily life was monotonous and
often very dull. Soldiers had to live there in all sorts of weather. In winter,
trenches flooded, and occasionally froze. As a result of wet conditions and
poor hygiene many soldiers suffered from "trench foot". Soldiers had to
live with rats and lice and the constant danger of enemy shelling as well
as the relentless sound of artillery bombardments. They often had to live
with death or injury of close friends. This had a profound effect on the
minds of soldiers with many suffering from a mental breakdown known as
shell shock. They had boring diet of tea, biscuits and tinned beef.