Daily Routine in the Trenches

Daily Life A general pattern for trench routine was 4 days in the front line, then 4 days in reserve and finally 4 at rest, although this varied depending on conditions, the weather and the availability of enough reserve troops to be able to rotate them in this way. As an example - and the numbers varied widely - a man might expect in a year to spend some 70 days in the front line, with another 30 in nearby support trenches. A further 120 might be spent in reserve. Only 70 days might be spent at rest. The amount of leave varied, with perhaps two weeks being granted during the year.

In local reserve, men had to be ready to reinforce the line at very short notice. The relief of a unit after its time in the front, by a fresh one, was always an anxious time, as the noise and obvious activity increased the risk of attracting enemy attention in the form of shelling, machine- gun fire or even a raid at the very time when the manning of the position was changing.

All of the men posted to the fire trench and most of those in the support trench had to wear their equipment at all times. Men in the front line had to keep their bayonets fixed during hours of darkness or mist, or whenever there was an alert of enemy activity. A man could not leave his post without permission of his immediate commander, and an officer had to approve him leaving the trench. How soldiers were trained in Britain!

Stand To and the ‘Morning Hate’ The daily routine of life in the trenches began with the morning 'stand to'. An hour before dawn everyone was roused from slumber by the company orderly officer and sergeant and ordered to climb up on the fire step to guard against a dawn raid by the enemy, bayonets fixed.fire Accompanying stand to, as the light grew, was the daily ritual often termed the 'morning hate'. Both sides would often relieve the tension of the early hours with machine gun fire, shelling and small arms fire, directed into the mist to their front: this made doubly sure of safety at dawn.

Rum, Rifles and the Breakfast Truce With ‘stand to’ over, rum might then be issued to the men. They would then clean their rifle and equipment, ready for inspection Breakfast would be next. In every area of the line at some time or other each side would adopt an unofficial truce while breakfast was served and eaten. This truce often extended to the wagons which delivered the supplies.

Rations BritishGerman Bread1 1/4 lb (20oz) bread, or 1 lb (16oz) biscuit or flour 750g (26 1/2 oz) bread, or 500g (17 1/2 oz) field biscuit, Meat1 1/4 lb (20oz) fresh or frozen meat, or 1 lb (16oz) preserved or salt meat 4 oz. bacon 375g (13 oz.) fresh or frozen meat, or 200g (7 oz) preserved meat Vegetable s 8 oz. fresh or 2 oz. dried vegetables pint lime juice (if fresh vegetables not issued) 53 oz potatoes, or oz vegetables, or 60g (2 oz.) dried vegetables, or 21 oz mixed potatoes and dried vegetables Tea5/8 oz. tea1/10 oz. tea or 9/10 oz. coffee Sugar3 oz. sugar20g (7/10 oz.) sugar Salt1/2 oz salt25g (9/10 oz.) salt Tobaccoup to 2 oz. tobacco per week (at discretion of commanding general) two cigars and two cigarettes or 1 oz. pipe tobacco, or 9/10 oz. plug tobacco, or 1/5 oz. snuff Alcohol0.125 pint rum (at discretion of commanding general) at discretion of commanding officer: 0.17 pint spirits, 0.44 pint wine, 0.88 pint beer

Inspection and Chores After breakfast the men would be inspected by either the company or platoon commander. Once this had been completed, Officers would assign daily chores to each man (except those who had been excused duty for a variety of reasons). Duties might include: –Refilling of sandbags, –Repairing duckboards –Draining trenches –Rebuilding trench walls –Preparation of latrines (toilets) –Burying the dead Click here to see an example of French troops at work In addition, Every day, the battalion holding the line would request from the nearby Brigade workshop a list of stores it needed. Some special items such as wire 'knife rests' (a wooden support for a barbed wire entanglement), signboards, boxes, and floor gratings would be made up at Brigade and brought to the trenches ready to use. Sandbags, wood, cement, barbed wire, telephone cable, and other supplies would also be sent up as needed. Men would be sent back to Brigade as a carrying party to fetch it.

French Engineering Corps working on a railway This railway is meant for the artillery, to transport ammunition and guns Click here to return to previous slide

Free Time After men had finished their chores, they were free to work on personal matters: e.g … click on the buttons below to see free time in the Trenches Getting a haircut Snoozing Washing Preparing meals Reading and writing letters home Telling stories Entertainment!

France Trenches 8 February 1917 Dear Will & Nell At pres. my abode is in a brick oven. On sentry last 4 days, a new cobber as the old ones are away at school cept, Wal & Chris and they are signalling so only get to see them when we get a shift. Came straight in here out of hospital. The cold is dreadful, our post is standing on bout 6 inches of ice & everything has been white nearly a month. Had heavy shelling last night - lasting 2 hrs. Did alot of ducking I tell you. Got much mail when I came back 8 one day & 15, 3 days later but to date no parcels. Have had touch Rheumatism last 3 days. The cousins (Eng) write pretty regularly. Sorry to hear not much luck with crop. How I would like to have a peep at you all and the home and garden. Our batt is much broke up expect newly organised at an early date. Had a letter from Willie Whyte last week. Old Fritz's planes are hovering round this morn. Well I'll have to ring off my hands are like stone. Love to you all No Yours Fondly XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX OOOOOOOOOOOOO Tell Lorna she won't know her Uncle when he comes home. Click to return

Haircut and… Click to return

Senegalese soldiers washing their linen in troughs Click to return

French poilu's cook their meal outside the barracks. Click to return

Australian soldiers asleep in a front line trench, June Click to return

Telling stories Click to return

Soldiers in front of a theatre tent, 1917 Click to return

Dusk: Stand To, Supply and Maintenance As night fell, the trenches became a hive of activity. Supply and maintenance activities began as men were sent to the rear lines to fetch rations and water Some would be assigned sentry duty on the fire step. Generally men would be expected to provide sentry duty for up to two hours. Any longer and there was a real risk of men falling asleep on duty - for which the penalty was death by firing squad.

Patrolling No Man's Land Patrols would often be sent out into No Mans Land. Some men would be tasked with repairing or adding barbed wire to the front line. Others however would go out to assigned listening posts, hoping to pick up valuable information from the enemy lines. Sometimes enemy patrols would meet in No Man's Land. They were then faced with the option of hurrying on their separate ways or else engaging in hand to hand fighting. They could not afford to use their handguns while patrolling in No Man's Land, for fear of the machine gun fire it would inevitably attract, deadly to all members of the patrol.