Conditions in the trenches

"There was nothing glamorous about trench life. World War 1 trenches were dirty, smelly and riddled with disease. For soldiers life in the trenches meant living in fear. In fear of diseases (like cholera and trench foot) and of course, the constant fear of enemy attack.

Trench warfare WW1 style is something all participating countries vowed never to repeat and the facts make it easy to see why."

- section from 'life in the trenches'

This information is useful to us as it shows the danger the soldiers were facing not only whilst fighting but whilst sleeping and eating. It also shows how the governments were putting there men at risk in so many ways making them fight a battle that wasn't theirs. knowing this allows us to understand the constant fear soldiers were dealing with and the shock they would face when arriving at the trenches. For most men fighting seemed like an honour so the contrast would have been great between their reaction before and after they had arrived.

         THE TRENCHES -WW1 

During world war one soldiers at war would live in trenches for long periods of time whilst fighting. These trenches became there home as well as their safest place. The only thing separating them from themselves and their enemy's was no man's land so war was constantly surrounding them. Their only escape was the letters they would receive from their loved ones and games they could play, such as cards, with their fellow soldiers whilst not fighting. In this picture we can see the harsh reality of what it is like, men, loved ones and friends are laying dead on the ground whilst one man is sleeping another aiming his gun at a target. I believe this image is helpful to us during the devising process as it shows the haunting images soldiers were seeing on a day to day basis and how brave they had to be. It also represents how ugly war can be which would be an interesting theme to display in a piece of theatre.