CHC2D

BACKGROUND TO BACKGROUND TO TRENCH WARFARETRENCH WARFARE

Trench warfare is a form of war in which Trench warfare is a form of war in which both opposing armies have static lines of both opposing armies have static lines of

defense. defense.

Trench warfare arose when there was a Trench warfare arose when there was a revolution in firepower without similar revolution in firepower without similar

advances in mobility and communicationsadvances in mobility and communications

DIAGRAM – HOW TO BUILD A DIAGRAM – HOW TO BUILD A TRENCHTRENCH

THE REALITIES OF THE THE REALITIES OF THE TRENCHESTRENCHES

GERMAN TRENCHESGERMAN TRENCHES

ARIEL VIEW OF THE TRENCHESARIEL VIEW OF THE TRENCHES

LIFE IN THE LIFE IN THE TRENCHESTRENCHES

An individual soldier's An individual soldier's time in the front-line time in the front-line trench varied; from as trench varied; from as little as one day to as little as one day to as much as two weeks at a much as two weeks at a time before being time before being relieved. relieved.

53 days straight by an Australian battalion was the longest recorded during WWI

Soldiers were expected to carry all of their equipment with them at all times.

They were supposed to keep it clean and in good condition – they were members of the British Army after all.

How the uniform and equipment changed after just three weeks in the

trenches…

FIELD KITCHENFIELD KITCHEN

FIELD RATIONSFIELD RATIONS

No smiling and relaxed faces…

No clean uniforms…

Their equipment is scattered everywhere…

Boredom and sleep are obvious…

Posters always showed men ready and willing to fight.

They never showed the boredom of the trenches or actual fighting taking place.

Why do you think the government showed no fighting?

DISEASEDISEASE►World War I's greatest killer was disease. World War I's greatest killer was disease. ►Sanitary conditions in the trenches were quite Sanitary conditions in the trenches were quite

poor,. poor,. ►Poor hygiene also and common infections Poor hygiene also and common infections

included dysentery, typhus, and cholera led to included dysentery, typhus, and cholera led to fungal conditions, such as trench foot. fungal conditions, such as trench foot.

LICELICE

The soldiers had very little decent food, and what food they had was often attacked by rats.

These rats were the size of small rabbits and badgers because they had fed on the decomposing bodies of dead soldiers.

SHELL SHELL SHOCKSHOCK

ATTACKING AN ATTACKING AN ENEMY TRENCHENEMY TRENCH

The Canadian government wanted to encourage men to enlist for war.

They said the war would be safe, hardly any fighting, a good lark and over by Christmas.

They used advertising posters to encourage this idea!A picture of soldiers going

‘Over the Top’

The reality of ‘going over the top’ was very different!

GOING OVER THE TOPGOING OVER THE TOP

BARBED WIREBARBED WIRE

WHAT DANGERS ARE WHAT DANGERS ARE REPRESENTED IN THIS REPRESENTED IN THIS

PHOTOGRAPH?PHOTOGRAPH?

BURIALBURIAL►Burial of the dead was usually a luxury Burial of the dead was usually a luxury

that neither side could easily afford. that neither side could easily afford. ►The bodies would lie in no man's land The bodies would lie in no man's land

until the front line moved, by which until the front line moved, by which time the bodies were often time the bodies were often unidentifiable. On some battlefields, unidentifiable. On some battlefields, such as at the Nek in Gallipoli, the such as at the Nek in Gallipoli, the bodies were not buried until after the bodies were not buried until after the war. war.

►On the Western Front, bodies continue On the Western Front, bodies continue to be found as fields are ploughed and to be found as fields are ploughed and building foundations dug.building foundations dug.