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“Some may regard a trench as a romantic place, but it makes a thankless home. Most trenches were deep and narrow, safe from rifle fire and pretty secure from shrapnel. Nevertheless accidents did occur. A fellow would keep his head too far above the parapet or look too long through a peep hole and get sniped.  Sometimes a bullet penetrated a badly filled sandbag and settled some poor devils account…the trenches zig-zagged all the way, so enemy fire could into enfilade for any distance.  The sun stared down onto the baked earth and searched out every corner.  To provide some shade, fellows stretched blankets overhead, pinned to the walls with bayonets. Sometimes attempts were made to get little comforts, such as seats, shelves and pictures from illustrated papers. But nothing really disguised the horror of these homes.”

Loch, Sydney. To Hell and Back: The banned account of Gallipoli, Sydney: Harper Collins, 2007, p154.
Image: Men in trenches at Gallipoli. http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/G00425

http://www.anzacsofgallipoli.com/

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Facts about World War 1 Trenches


Two British soldiers standing in a flooded communication trench during WW1.

It is estimated that there were about 2,490km of trench lines dug during World War 1. Most trenches were between 1-2 metres wide and 3 metres deep.

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Many soldiers living in the trenches suffered from Trench Foot. Rain and bad weather would flood the trenches making them boggy, muddy and could even block weapons and make it hard to move in battle. The sustained exposure to the wet, muddy conditions could cause Trench Foot, which sometimes would result in the foot being amputated. Cold weather was dangerous, too and soldiers often lost fingers or toes to frostbite. Some soldiers also died from exposure to the cold.



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Trenches weren’t dug in straight lines, but were instead dug in a zigzag pattern.  The WW1 trenches were built as a system, in a zigzag pattern with many different levels along the lines. They had paths dug so that soldiers could move between the levels.



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The land between the two enemy trench lines was called “No Man’s Land.”  No Man’s Land was sometimes covered with land mines and barbed wire. The distance between enemy trenches was anywhere from 50 to 250 yards apart.



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It was very difficult to sleep in the trenches. The noise and uncomfortable surroundings made it very difficult to sleep in trenches. Soldiers were constantly tired and in danger of falling asleep. This is why the watch shift was kept to 2 hours to avoid men falling asleep while on watch.



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