1. Life in the Trenches
World War I

3. Death
Inexperienced soldiers were cautioned against peering over the trench into No Man’s Land
Many men died on their first day
Up to 1/3 of Allied casualties were sustained in the trenches

6. Rat Infestation Millions of rats infested trenches
Brown rat was especially feared
Feed on human remains (disfiguring them by eating their eyes and liver)
Grow to the size of a cat
A single rat could produce up to 900 offspring in a year
Spreading infection and contaminating food 

7. Lice Problems Lice were also never-ending problem causing men to itch
When washed and deloused, lice eggs remained hidden in the seams
Lice caused Trench Fever
Painful disease that began with severe pain followed by high fever
Recovery - Away from the trenches & took up to 12 weeks
Many men chose to shave their heads entirely to avoid lice

8. The Trench Cycle
Typically, a battalion would be expected to serve in the front line
This would be followed by a stint spent in support, and then in reserve line
A short period of rest (reserve) would follow
Before the whole cycle of trench duty would start afresh

9. Trench Foot A fungal infection of the feet
Caused by cold, wet and unsanitary trench conditions
It could result in gangrene & lead to an amputation 

10. Stand to: Dawn & Dusk
An hour before dawn everyone was ordered to climb up on the fire step
Guard against a dawn raid
This policy of ‘stand to’ was adopted by both sides
Many were actually carried out at this time
Early hours = machine gun fire, shelling and small arms fire, directed into the mist to their front
Stand to: made sure of safety at dawn

11. Inspection and Chores
After breakfast, men would be inspected by the commander
Daily chores included:
Refilling of sandbags
Repairing the duckboards on the floor of the trench
Draining the trenches
Following heavy rainfall, trenches could quickly accumulate muddy water
Could cause the trenches to collapse

12. Patrolling No Man’s Land
Patrol Tasks:
Adding/repairing barbed wire
Listening posts – hoping to pick up valuable information
Sometimes enemy patrols would meet in No Man's Land 
Options: Go separate ways or hand to hand fighting
They could not afford to use their handguns while patrolling in No Man's Land
Fear of attracting machine gun fire

13. And the Smell Aspect that instantly struck visitors to the lines:
The appalling reek given of by numerous conflicting sources
Sources:
Rotting carcasses in their thousands
Overflowing latrines
Men who had not bathed in weeks or months
Lice, rats, & disease
The feet were generally accepted to give off the worst odor (trench foot)