TRENCH WARFARE

MUCH of the fighting during World War I was done from the trenches, a gruelling and horrific experience for soldiers. Over 2490km of trench lines were created and used for protection and counter attack against the opposing side mostly in the Western Front, Eastern Front, Gallipoli, Russia, Middle East, Africa, Egypt and Balkans. Most trenches were between 1-2 metres wide and 3 metres deep. Death and shell shock were constant companions to those in the trenches. Constant shellfire and sniper bullets brought random deaths and thousands of soldiers experienced psychological distress from the shells bursting near them at close range and witnessing the daily nightmare of warfare. Rats and lice added another aggravating dimension to daily life in the trenches. The rats, brown and black, thrived literally in their millions among trenches. Lice caused trench fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever. Recovery, away from the trenches, took up to 12 weeks. Many of the soldiers also suffered from trench foot, a serious infection caused by standing in cold, wet and insanitary conditions. Soldiers often stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots. Untreated, trench foot turned gangrenous and resulted in amputation. World War I also saw the first large scale use of chemical weapons including tear gas, lethal agents like phosgene, chlorine, and mustard gas. Counter measures were quickly introduced including the use of gas masks. Edward Frank Harrison, an English chemical scientist, is credited with the Right: Pet dog of the Middlesex Regiment with its catch of rats. Photo: Imperial War Museum. Below: Men of the 10th Brigade who had been in the front line trenches for several days have a foot inspection at Dragon Farm. Photo: Imperial War Museum. invention of the first serviceable gas mask during World War I. It is widely estimated that 10 per cent of the soldiers who fought in the trenches died either in charges over the top or by disease. Trench warfare serves as a brutal reminder of the horrors of World War I.