2.  The Great War was supposed to be a fairly short event and one of great movement.  This was not to be the case!  WW1 was known for its lack of movement – there were years of stalemate from Autumn 1914 to Spring 1918.

3.  The war began quickly with the Germans quickly storming through Belgium and into France on their way to Paris.  At the Battle of Marne in 1914, the Germans were pushed back by allied forces.  The Germans “dug in” to prevent the loss of too much ground.  The Allies also “dug in” as they were unable to break through this defence.

5.  The Trench Cycle: - A battalion would have to spend a cycle in the front line, they would then move to support, then the reserves before having a rest (usually very short). - Some would have to spend a much longer time in the front line than other – it depended on the situation.

7.  Stand To and Morning Hate: - Every morning, an hour before dawn, everyone would be woken and told to stand on the first step to prepare for a dawn raid. - Both sides started to perform this ritual, but both sides kept attacking at dawn. - The Morning Hate was designed to ease tensions of the early morning – both sides would send off machine gun fire, shells and other artillery.

9.  There was an unofficial truce between each side at breakfast time – soldiers were able to eat breakfast in relative peace.  Throughout the day, soldiers would be required to perform chores – refilling sandbags, fixing loose boards and draining the trenches.

11.  The Smell: - This was the main trait that every visitor to the trenches noticed first. - Rotting bodies lay everywhere. - Overflowing toilets. - Unwashed bodies – sweat and feet. - Creosol or chloride of lime to stop disease. - Cordite, poisonous gases, rotting sandbags, cigarette smoke, cooking smells and stagnant mud.

12.  Pests: - Rats in their millions infested trenches. The brown rats were particularly feared as they would eat the dead bodies and would grow to the size of a cat. The rats would spread infection and contaminate food. - Lice were a never ending problem, they would live in the seams of clothing and cause the men to itch. Lice caused Trench Fever, a particularly painful disease that began suddenly with severe pain followed by high fever. Recovery - away from the trenches - took up to twelve weeks. Lice were not actually identified as the culprit of Trench Fever until 1918.

13.  Pests: - Frogs would be found in the mud puddles left from shell fire as well as in the bottom of muddy trenches. - Slugs and horned beetles lined the sides of trenches. - Soldiers would shave their heads to avoid nits. - Trench Foot was another issue due to constant cold, wet and dirty trench conditions. It would cause an infection which would turn gangrenous and result in amputation.

15.  It is estimated that 1/3 of Allied casualties on the Western Front were actually sustained in the trenches.  Many novices to the front line had to be warned from looking over the top and into No Man’s Land – as snipers were always waiting.  Many men died on their first day in the trenches.

18.  Insert clip from Horrible Histories about life in the trenches