Download Hardships in the Trenches

Hardships in
the Trenches
• 1. Trenches
flooded often
– “Through the winter,
weariness and water
were our chief
enemies…One walked
in the trenches in
thigh-high boots with
water above the knee,
and one remembers
the icy stream welling
up inside the boot
when you punctured it
on concealed barbed
wire…”
• C.S. Lewis, 1917
• 2. These wet, muddy conditions often led to
an infection called Trench Foot
– Feet would turn
red or blue, go
numb, and could
turn gangrenous
and result in
amputation
– The only remedy for it was for soldiers to dry
their feet and change their socks several times a
day
• 3. Dysentery also set in with some of the
soldiers
– This is a bacteria caused by contaminated water
and poor sanitation among men
• 4. Soldiers
experience shellshock because of
their high-stress
surroundings
– They experience
tiredness, irritability,
lack of concentration,
headaches, and
eventual mental
breakdowns
• 5. Brown and Black Rat infestations plagued
the soldiers as they fed on the bodies of the
dead
• 6. Lice were also a never-ending problem as
men lacked the ability to wash their clothes
– They caused constant itching and Trench Fever—a
painful disease that involved severe pain and high
fever that could last for 3 months