1. What was life like in the trenches for Canadian soldiers during WWI?

2. When Canadian soldiers left for Europe and the war in the fall of 1914, most were expecting adventure, heroism, and excitement. What they encountered upon their arrival was much different, and far from glamorous. Soldiers were living in trenches- long, narrow ditches, dug by hand, that they would live in day and night. The trenches would often fill with water from the rai, and muddy puddles would fill the bottoms of the trenches, causing trench foot when soldiers would stand in the water for long periods of time. It was certainly a difficult way of life while fighting day in and day out.

3. Soldiers would live in the trenches for long periods of time
Soldiers would live in the trenches for long periods of time. They would not only use the trenches as a base for fighting, but would sleep, eat, spend their down time, and use the washroom in the trenches.

4. Since the trenches were not covered and protected from the elements, they would often fill with water, creating a muddy, cold and disease-ridden environment.

5. Some trenches would be reinforced with wood and sandbags, and duckboards would protect against the mud at the bottom of the trenches. Soldiers would make the best of their lives in the trenches, finding comfortable places to lounge whenever possible.

6. Since the fighting on the front lines often happened far from proper hospitals, medics would tend to the wounded whenever, and wherever needed.

7. Mud and rain would cause the trenches to become sodden and flooded
Mud and rain would cause the trenches to become sodden and flooded. When soldiers would stand for long periods of time in the water, it would lead to trench foot. Diseases, such as typhoid and cholera would spread in the water as well.

8. Left untreated, trench foot could become painful, and could even require toes and feet to be amputated.

9. Far from the glamorous ideal of fighting for honour and glory, the reality of war was often psychologically tough on the men. They would have to sleep in the dugouts they’d have to dig themselves, exposed to the elements.

10. In order to escape mentally from the reality of war, the soldiers found ways to amuse themselves and help pass the time between battles. Playing cribbage and cards were common in the trenches.

11. When it came to fight in a battle, the soldiers would need to climb “over the top” from the safety of the trenches into No Man’s Land.

12. Often given only one set of clothes, soldiers would need to tend to whatever needed to be taken care of in terms of washing, mending, and repairing their own supplies.

13. The trenches were not the most organized living and working environment. Men would find a place to sleep wherever they could, while others kept watch.

14. Despite being a fairly chaotic place to be, the way in which the trenches were arranged were fairly sophisticated. Trenches would be dug in a zig zag pattern in order to offer protection in case of attack.

15.
Rats became quite a nuisance. Feeding not only on the soldiers’ food supply, but also on the bodies of dead and dying soldiers in No Man’s Land, they had free reign of the trenches and would breed quickly and freely.

16. There was nothing protecting the soldiers from the elements
There was nothing protecting the soldiers from the elements. Rain and snow would fill the trenches, creating breeding grounds for diseases and resulting in trench foot.

17. More than 100 years after World War I, the ground of Europe, especially in France and the Western Front, is still scarred from the trenches.

18. World War I was a dangerous place to be for Canadian soldiers
World War I was a dangerous place to be for Canadian soldiers. 619,636 Canadians enlisted, and 59,544 died during the war. While fighting, soldiers had to contend with lice- causing trench fever and spreading disease, rats-irritating the troops and stealing food, living without protection from the elements-rain causing mud and potentially causing trench foot. Facing living in the trenches quickly ended the romantic ideal of glory, honour and heroism. It wasn’t only that the soldiers had to survive battles and shelling, but they had to keep their morale high and survive the horrors of the day to day life in the trenches.

19. Works Cited
1-3) Postmedia inc. Battlefront. The Great War. battlefront/images-life-in-the-trenches. Retrieved: April 23, ) Ormand, G. Trench Life in WWI Dreary, Dangerous. Global News. news/ /trench-life-in-wwi-dreary- dangerous/. Retrieved: April 23, ) Duffy, M. Life in the Trenches. The First World War. /trenchlife.htm. Retrieved: April 23, ) Government of Canada. World War I. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved: April 23, ) Government of Canada. World War I. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved: April 23, ) Rollason, K. Letters from the Tenches. Winnipeg Free Press. trenches html. Retrieved: April 23, ,15) A&E Channel. World War I: Life in the Trenches. History Channel. history/pictures/world-war-i-trench-warfare/canadian-soldiers-going-into-action-from-trench. Retrieved: April 23, ) Dvorsky, G. Trench Warfare in World War I Was a Smarter Strategy Than You Realize. Io9. world-war-i-was-a-smarter-strategy-th Retrieved: April 23, ) Author Unknown. Trench warfare in WWI. Retrieved: April 23, ) Author Unknown. First World War. Imperial War Museum. media.iwm.org.uk. Retrieved: April 23, 2017.