Life In The Trenches

Life in the Trenches Life in the trenches during the First World War took many forms, and varied widely from sector to sector and from front to front. Undoubtedly, it was entirely unexpected for those eager thousands who signed up for war in August 1914. A War of Movement? Indeed, the Great War - a phrase coined even before it had begun - was expected to be a relatively short affair and, as with most wars, one of great movement. The First World War was typified however by its lack of movement, the years of stalemate exemplified on the Western Front from autumn 1914 until spring 1918. Not that there wasn't movement at all on the Western Front during 1914-18; the war began dramatically with sweeping advances by the Germans through Belgium and France en route for Paris. So what was life actually like for the men serving tours of duty in the line, be they front line, support or reserve trenches? Daily Death in the Trenches Rat Infestation Rats in their millions infested trenches. Frogs, Lice and Worse The Trench Cycle

BBC Schools - Life in the trenches 31 October 2014Last updated at 15:07 Two British soldiers standing in a flooded communication trench during World War One On the Western Front, the war was fought in trenches. Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived all day and night. There were many lines of German trenches on one side and many lines of Allied trenches on the other. In the middle, was no man's land, so-called because it did not belong to either army. Rest Soldiers in the trenches did not get much sleep. Dirty trenches The trenches could be very muddy and smelly.

In the trenches of 1914-1918 What were the trenches? Although most of us think primarily of the Great War in terms of life and death in the trenches, only a relatively small proportion of the army actually served there. The trenches were the front lines, the most dangerous places. Why were the trenches there? The idea of digging into the ground to give some protection from powerful enemy artillery and small arms fire was not a new idea or unique to the Great War. What were the trenches like? The type and nature of the trench positions varied a lot, depending on the local conditions. The bird's-eye view (below, from an official infantry training manual of March 1916) shows a typical but very stylised trench layout. Behind it is another line, similarly made, called a support line. The enemy had a very similar system of trenches. A typical trench system consisting of three main fire or support trenches, connected by communication trenches and with various posts, strong points and saps. Keep your head down!

Life in the Trenches - History Learning Site Trenches and life within those trenches have become an enduring topic from World War One. Throughout the war millions of soldiers experienced and endured the horrors of trench warfare. Some wrote down for posterity what these experiences were and as time has moved on from World War One more and more of these written documents – frequently in the form of a diary – have come to light. However, regardless of who wrote what about the trenches, all have one consistent theme – the horrors experienced by the men who had to live in them. All of the soldiers who fought in trenches would have had a good idea of what a good trench was like and what constituted a bad trench. “A good standing trench was about six foot deep, so that a man could walk upright during the day in safety from rifle-fire. If anyone had to go to the company on our right in the daytime he had to walk through thirty yards of waterlogged trench, which was chest-deep in water in some places.

Front Line: Life in the Trenches of WWI If you were a soldier fighting in the First World War, what would you see? What would you hear? With only 20 WWI veterans left in the world, fewer and fewer people are able to answer these questions with certainty. For everyone else, there's Front Line. Trenches: In this page, you'll find information on the construction of trenches, their layout, the hygiene (or lack thereof) of trenches, the cold, and how burials were handled in trench warfare. Routine: On here, you'll find information on the day-to-day life of the soldiers in the trenches: for example, the food they ate, their various duties, and the ways they attempted to cope. Warfare: This page details the "warfare" part of "trench warfare." Traumas: Trench Warfare was a horrific experience for most of the soldiers. Game: This is a choose-your-own-adventure style game that attempts to recreate the experience of trench warfare. About Front Line 2008 marks the 90th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War. Contact Me

Somme History The Battle of the Somme, 1916 On 24 June 1916, British and French artillery began a seven-day bombardment which marked the start of what became known as the Battle of the Somme. It had been in preparation since an Allied conference in December 1915. With the French now committed at Verdun, Commonwealth forces assumed the main role at the Somme. A heavy howitzer of the Royal Garrison Artillery in action, Somme offensive, August 1916. By the day's end, some 57,000 Commonwealth and 2,000 French soldiers had become casualties, of whom more than 19,000 had been killed. Over the following months, the offensive was continued by men from every part of Britain and across the Commonwealth. An exhausted soldier sleeps in a front line trench, Thiepval, September 1916. By the end of the offensive, the Allies had advanced around 10 km in some places, though far less in others, but had also exacted a high toll on the German armies.

Causes of World War I Germany, France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Britain attempting to keep the lid on the simmering cauldron of imperialist and nationalist tensions in the Balkans to prevent a general European war. They were successful in 1912 and 1913, but did not succeed in 1914. The crisis came after a long and difficult series of diplomatic clashes between the Great Powers (Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Austria-Hungary and Russia) over European and colonial issues in the decade before 1914 that had left tensions high. The various categories of explanation for World War I correspond to different historians' overall methods. Background In November 1912, Russia was humiliated because of its inability to support Serbia during the Bosnian crisis of 1908 or the First Balkan War, and announced a major reconstruction of its military. Both Wilhelm II and the Army leadership agreed that if a war were necessary it were best launched soon. "Moltke described to me his opinion of our military situation.

Heros of 'India's Battle of the Somme' honoured by royal visit Battle of the Somme. Some of the Japanese soldiers had died of starvation and disease. By then end, more than 4000 allied soldiers were dead, and 5764 Japanese troops had been killed. Had they lost the Battle of Kohima, Japan would have taken the nearby railhead and air field at Dimapur, then in Assam, and used it as a base to sweep across Bengal. The heroism of the troops of Kohima has been the stuff of legend but their unique contribution to winning the war was finally recognised by Britain's royal family on Tuesday when the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, visited the town's Commonwealth War Cemetery. "It's very important for the modern generation, particularly across India, for people to remember and recognise the sacrifice that took place here, because without that sacrifice and that stand then the freedom that we now have … would not have been possible," he said. There's Captain John Randle of the Royal Norfolk Regiment. "It's part of our history, we can't deny that fact.

Ina - Les Jalons de la Première Guerre mondiale L’Ina a développé, avec le concours du Ministère de l’Education Nationale, un site éducatif de référence Jalons pour l’histoire du temps présent qui propose de découvrir et décrypter à travers 1500 documents provenant des archives de la radio, de la presse filmée et de la télévision, l’histoire du monde contemporain depuis 1914. La sélection des films portant sur la Première Guerre mondiale a été faite majoritairement au sein des fonds Pathé et Gaumont. Elle s’est donnée comme objectif d'illustrer plusieurs dimensions du conflit, conformément à l'approche développée dans le cadre des programmes de troisième et de première. Il est apparu indispensable d'y faire figurer quelques grandes batailles et offensives ayant profondément marqué plusieurs générations de Français et occupant toujours une place toute particulière dans la mémoire collective : la bataille de la Marne, Verdun… offensives et contre-offensives de l’année 1918. Quelques Jalons de la Grande guerre : La Grande Guerre

First world war: Volunteers from the colonies - the forgotten soldiers | Worl... Racism in the trenches There was a time when George Blackman would have done anything for the mother country. In 1914, in a flush of youth and patriotism, he told the recruiting officer he was 18 - he was actually 17 - and joined the British West Indies Regiment. "Lord Kitchener said with the black race, he could whip the world," Blackman recalls. "We sang songs: 'Run Kaiser William, run for your life, boy'." He closes his eyes as he sings, and keeps them closed for the rest of our interview. Enthusiasm for the battle was widespread across the Caribbean. While Kitchener's private attitude was that black soldiers should never be allowed at the front alongside white soldiers, the enormous losses - and the interference of George V - made it inevitable. When they arrived, they often found that fighting was to be done by white soldiers only - black soldiers were assigned the dirty, dangerous jobs of loading ammunition, laying telephone wires and digging trenches. He didn't make friends.

Des décorations et des archives Les soldats de la Grande Guerre et les civils ont été abondamment décorés pendant et après la Première Guerre mondiale. Des sites internet permettent de reconnaître les différentes décorations et de découvrir leur histoire, les critères d’attribution et leurs caractéristiques matérielles : Ordres, décorations et médailles (1914-1918) et France Phaleristique. En revanche, on sait moins que l’attribution de décorations a généré des archives, qui peuvent s’avérer très utiles pour les recherches familiales et historiques. Nous avons voulu identifier ces sources et nous en avons découvert la diversité et la richesse, dont nous essayons de rendre compte dans le présent article. Des décorations : pourquoi, pour qui ? Avant la guerre : Que ce soit par l’octroi d’une promotion au grade supérieur ou par l’attribution d’une marque distinctive, récompenser le soldat est aussi ancien que la guerre elle-même. Pendant et après la guerre : Quelles archives ? 1) Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur (1802) :