A picture of soldiers going The Canadian government wanted to encourage men to enlist for war. They said the war would be safe, hardly any fighting, a glorious adventure and over by Christmas A picture of soldiers going ‘Over the Top’
The Trenches
The Trench Cycle was the time period men would spend in the line This amount of time would vary from weeks to months Daily life was spent with inspections, chores, supplies and waiting, endless waiting
The reality of ‘going over the top’ was very different!
Mud, dirt and the smell of death… No clean uniforms… Rats, lice and dead bodies… Constant gunfire and shelling…
Mass Devastation
Freezing Winters
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.
Artillery
How the uniform and equipment changed after just three weeks in the trenches…
Trench Foot
Gas was often a double-edged sword capable of blowing back to its point of origin.