Trenches

1. The Horror of a Stalemate Trenches

2. TRENCH WARFARE People were enthusiastic, optimistic and light-hearted about the war. Enlisted men thought it would be an exciting adventure and they would be home by Christmas.

3. TRENCH WARFARE In the past, war was fought with armies facing each other across a field. Infantry would fight and cavalry would attack from the flanks.

4. TRENCH FORMAT • In WW1, once the armies stopped, both sides dug in and tried to outmaneuver each other. • And a line of trenches war created…

5. TRENCH WARFARE • …from the North Sea to Switzerland. This was known as “The Western Front”

6. TRENCH WARFARE That’s almost 1100 km or …the distance from London to Ottawa….and back again!

7. TRENCH WARFARE • World War One became a war of attrition meaning neither side could break through the other’s lines. • They were locked in a stalemate

8. TRENCH WARFARE • Thousands of Canadians called these trenches home for more than 4 years. • Millions more would die fighting in these trenches

9. TRENCHES

10. Trench System The trenches were usually 7 feet deep and 6 feet wide. Parapet • The front side of the trench that faced the enemy line. The parapet had sandbags piled 2 feet high to protect them from gunfire and shell fragments.

11. Trench System Fire Step • 2 -3 foot ledge that allowed soldiers to see over the top of the trench and fire at the enemy. Duckboards • Planks of wood that lined the bottom of the trench to protect soldiers feet from being submerged in water.

12. Trench System No-Man’s Land • The area of land between the allies and enemy trenches. Covered with barbed wire and dead, rotting bodies and water filled holes left by artillery shells. Dugouts • Made in the sides of the trenches to protect soldiers from weather and enemy fire. Deep dugouts were built for commander headquarters.

13. Daily Life in the Trenches Rats, Lice, Trench foot, Smell, Boredom and DEATH

14. The Trench Cycle

15. Daily Trench Routine

16. RATS • Millions of rats infested the trenches. • Fed off dead bodies and grew to the size of cats! • Couldn’t shoot them (waste bullets), so they used their bayonets or smacked them. • Rats produce 900 offspring a year, so they could never get rid of them!

17. Lice, Trench Fever and Creepy Crawlies • Soldiers were covered in lice and would itch constantly! • Hide in the seams of dirty uniforms and eggs would hatch from body heat. • TRENCH FEVER – severe pain and high fever. • Frogs, slugs and beetles crawled and hopped all throughout the trenches!

18. Trench Foot • Fungal infection caused by cold, wet and unsanitary conditions. • The foot could turn gangrenous, rot away the tissue and have to be cut off! Ewwww • Soldiers were ordered to keep spare pair dry socks to prevent infection.

19. Food in the Trenches • Soldiers lived off bully beef (canned corn beef), bread, biscuitsand pea soup. • Soldiers given rations. • 8 days to get bread to the front, so it was usually stale and hard. • Soldiers would boil their food in sandbags to make it edible.

20. Boredom and Patrolling No-Man’s Land • Soldiers had to stay hidden in a trench and could not stand or move around a lot. They would pass the time writing letters home and chatting to each other. • Soldiers had to patrol no-man’s land. They would add more barbed wire and hide at listening posts to get info from the enemy.

21. The Smell! Yuck • Rotting bodies covered no-man’s land and filled the trenches. • Overflowing latrines (holes for toilets). • Soldiers couldn’t wash for months . • Trench foot – rotting tissue • Lingering poisonous chlorine gas, rotting sandbags, cigarettes and spoiled food.

22. Letter Home Now that you’ve learned what life was like in the trenches, you will write a letter home describing your experiences as a soldier!