It Was Terrible To Live In The Trenches

The next fact in the list of facts about the trenches warfare in WWI is the life of soldiers in the trenches. The terrible lives of the men in the trenches are commonly remembered in the aftermath of World War I. Though trench warfare was not a new concept, it was used on a massive scale on the Western Front during the Great War. Soldiers in the trenches faced several problems on a daily basis, making life difficult. As a result of the poor hygienic conditions in the trenches, many soldiers contracted infectious ailments. Soldiers had tasks to do even when they weren't fighting, such as fixing trenches, transferring supplies, cleaning weapons, conducting inspections, and guard duties. One out of every ten men died in the trenches.

Infectious diseases including dysentery, cholera, and typhoid fever were frequent and spread quickly because men fought in close quarters in the trenches, often in filthy conditions. Trench foot is a painful ailment in which dead tissue spreads across one or both feet, requiring amputation in certain cases. It is caused by constant exposure to moisture. Trench mouth, a sort of gum infection, was also a concern, and was linked to the stress of constant bombardment.

The troops were harassed by rats and lice at all hours of the day and night. Oversized rats, bloated on the food and waste of sedentary armies, caused disease and were an annoyance. In 1918, medics discovered that lice was the source of trench fever, which caused headaches, fevers, and muscle pain in the troops.