What was life like for the Australian Imperial Forces living in the trenches?
In the First World War, the conditions in which the Australian soldiers lived in were very harsh. One of the most notorious environments in the event was the trenches. The trenches were long gullies that ran along the ground, like a series of rabbit holes that had been surfaced. Soldiers would live in small rooms off of the main trenches, while going out in the and along the main trench when fighting. Trench warfare was very tedious and unforgiving. The two sides dug trenches very close to each other, and had a small space in-between called ‘No Man’s Land’. Trenches were often lined with barbed wire to stop an enemy attack, which also lead to injuries and complications for the defending side.
The conditions in the trenches were horrible, dead bodies lay everywhere and even the smallest cuts were infected. When it started to rain, the trenches would flood, and with no-where to go, all the soldiers had to stand around in the mud for hours on end. This lead to a condition called trench foot, where the foot would swell and eventually start to rot. Many soldiers had to have amputations due to trench foot, and it saw many soldiers going home. Food in the trenches was scarce, and anything that was available was either bully beef (Tinned meat) or dry bread and biscuits. At night, a designated chef would cook something in large quantities for the soldiers, however it would often be a soup or broth, often containing horse meat or other cheap fillers. Nothing was fresh, and many soldiers suffered from nutrient deficiency related problems. When a side decided it was time to attack or capture and enemy trench, it was basically a death wish for most of their soldiers. Once the attack had been announced and called, all of the soldiers would clamber up the trench walls, and run as fast as they could into No Man’s Land. Of course, being dug in with a small amount of body shown, the enemy soldiers took out most of the oncoming soldiers before they had even made it a few meters from their trench. The ones that did make it across usually took out one or two soldiers before being shot or stabbed with a bayonet. There was no escape while in the trenches, with a constant worry of enemy attack, artillery fire of the enemy digging into the trench. |
In their spare time (Which did not come often) the soldiers had a very limited list of available activities. Most would eat, however some would play card games or trade novelties with other soldier. Every other day, soldiers would have to strip their weapon to clean, which was near impossible in the mud and grime in the trenches. Some soldiers would stay near the back of the trenches, creating improvised shrapnel bombs with gun powder from bullets, bully beef cans and cut up barbed wire. Others would make periscope-like devices that they used to shoot at the enemy with popping out of the trenches. Some would take a more artistic approach to their time, and create ‘Trench-Art’ – Engraving their rifles or creating knife handles out of bone, wood or soft rocks.
The medical staff in the trenches were available, but were not well trained or well equipped. Many had to perform field surgery to remove bullets and shrapnel while the patient was still conscious. With a lack of proper drugs and suitable antibiotics, the medics found themselves overwhelmed with work, and were needed non-stop. Possibly the most common condition that the medics saw to trench foot, and they found themselves dismissing many soldiers who could no longer fight. Of course, only a small amount were actually sent home due to the availability of ships. Overall, life in the trenches was not enjoyable. There was no time to relax and unwind, and people had to find comfort in the little things. The food was terrible and the conditions they had to eat it in were even worse. In their spare time, soldiers were still working on things to try and get an advantage on the enemy. Soldiers had no room for error, and one mistake could cost them their life. A very small amount of things went the way they were planned, and disease and conditions cost the military a lot of men, as did the fighting. Most deaths in the trenches were very painful, whether it be getting an arm blown off by artillery, getting an infected cut and being unable to defend yourself properly, or being shot in No Man’s Land and having to bleed out while no one is able to help you. Written By Sean Crampton. |