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.