1. Hardships in the Trenches
1. Trenches flooded often

2. “Through the winter, weariness and water were our chief enemies…One walked in the trenches in thigh-high boots with water above the knee, and one remembers the icy stream welling up inside the boot when you punctured it on concealed barbed wire…”
C.S. Lewis, 1917

3. 2. These wet, muddy conditions often led to an infection called Trench Foot
Standing for hours in waterlogged trenches without removing wet socks or boots

4. Feet would turn red or blue, go numb, and could turn gangrenous and result in amputation

5. The only remedy for it was for soldiers to dry their feet and change their socks several times a day

6. 3. Dysentery also set in with some of the soldiers
This is a bacteria caused by contaminated water and poor sanitation among men
It involved stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever…and dehydration

7. 4. Soldiers experience shell-shock because of their high-stress surroundings

8. They experience tiredness, irritability, lack of concentration, headaches, and eventual mental breakdowns
2% of British army (active duty) experienced this

9. 5. Brown and Black Rat infestations plagued the soldiers as they fed on the bodies of the dead
Could become as big as cats

11. 1 rat can have 900 babies a year
They spread disease and contaminated food

12. 6. Lice were also a never-ending problem as men lacked the ability to wash their clothes

13. They caused constant itching and Trench Fever—a painful disease that involved severe pain and high fever that could last for 3 months