Life in the Trenches: Worksheet for the game based at
Task:
As you go through the game, try to get answers to the following questions.
Your teacher may have allocated certain questions to certain people – in which case just focus on the questions you have been given.
- Nearly All Answers will be explained in the Tour pages. Do not got to other sites until you are sure the answer is not answered.
- If you do go to other sites always come back to the tour.
- Some activities must be complete before you continue
- At the end of the tour you will be given a Survival Rating indicating how well you survived show this rating to the teacher
1. Joining Up
Give three reasons why so many men chose to join the army in 1914.
- Patriotic proud of your country
- Shame being called a coward and given a white feather
- Peer pressure joining in with your mates
2. Training
How did trench warfare come about?
- You are also told why trenches came about: basically, weaponry has now become so powerful that both sides had to dig into the ground like moles to stop being blown to smithereens
3. Up the Line
Why do the trenches smell so much?
- trench has turned into a muddy swamp full of mess from the latrines (toilets) and thickened by rotting bodies
4. Dugouts
Why are German dugouts better than French and English ones?
- "We want to drive forward and push the Germans out of France, so we're not going to build nice places, are we?"
- If you want to live in luxury, change to the German side – they're happy to keep the land they've already won, so they have quite splendid dugouts"
5. Stand-To (Dawn)
What is ‘Stand-To’?
- Army officers believed that the most likely time for an enemy attack was early in the morning. Therefore an hour before dawn every morning, each company was given the stand-to order. All the men in the front-line would stand on the fire-step with rifles and fixed bayonets. After an hour, when the light was considered too good for an enemy offensive, the sergeant gave the stand-down order and only the sentries remained on the alert. An hour before dark a second stand-to was ordered. When the light had completely gone, the stand-down order was given.
Although the Germans were aware of these routine, a large number of attacks took place during a stand-to period. This was especially true when German intelligence officers discovered that this section of the front-line trench was being held by inexperienced troops.
6. Morning Duties
What sorts of duties were men given to fill time during the day?
- fetch rations and supplies from the rear, others refill sandbags, repair duckboards, or clean out the latrines.
7. Snipers
How did snipers do their job?
- German snipers creep out at dawn into no-man's land and remain there all day.
- Wearing camouflaged clothing and using the cover of a fake tree, they wait for British soldiers to pop their heads above the parapet.
8. Writing Home
What law allowed officers to censor letters written by soldiers?
- Defence of the Realm Act,
Why were letters censored?
- all letters you write must be censored by me before being posted off. We can't have you giving away army secrets and damaging civilian morale back home with complaints about trench life!”
9. Wipers Times
What was the “Wipers Times”?
- the funny newspaper produced by the soldiers.
10. Sentry Duty
What happened to men who fell asleep on sentry duty?
- I put someone on court martiallast week for falling asleep on sentry duty, and he is now facing death by firing squad!"
Why was the penalty so harsh?
- World War One soldiers knew their king and country expected them to fight to the death. Such was the expectation of their military commanders, their political leaders and even their loved ones that there was no question that if mortal danger came,
11. Summer: Rats
Why were rats such a problem in the summer?
- As Spring turns to Summer, the stink from the rat-infested corpses in no-man's land becomes terrible.
- The rats are breeding like rabbits – one pair can produce 880 offspring in a year - and often match their size.
- These rats become very bold. One day you are sitting eating bully beef with your mate, and you see a rat taking food from his pockets.
12. Autumn: Lice
Why were lice such a problem for the soldiers in the trenches?
Whilst the stink is now a little less overwhelming, a new torture has arrived - lice! With no way of washing yourselves, every single soldier is covered in them!- Many soldiers burn them with candles. This is called 'chatting'. Fresh eggs hatch out every day, so the men often get together for a 'chat'.
- As well as causing scratching, lice also carry 'trench fever'. Although the disease does not kill, it stops soldiers from fighting and accounts for about 15% of all cases of sickness in the British Army.
13. Winter: Trenchfoot
What were the symptoms of trenchfoot?
- Their feet go numb and their skin turns red or blue.
- Left untreated, trench foot causes the feet to swell and rot so they have to be chopped off. 20,000 men in the British Army will be treated for trench foot in 1914 alone.
How could you try to avoid getting it?
- You keep stamping your feet and rubbing your hands. You also change your socks every day and rub your feet with whale oil (ten gallons of this is used by your battalion every single day)!
14. The Battle of the Somme
Why were the ‘Tommies’ ordered to walk across no-man’s land at a walking pace?
- Going any faster could cause you to fall over in the mud and slow you down or, still worse, to get you drowned.
15. Results of the Battle of the Somme
How many people were (a) Injured and (b) Killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme?
- 20,000 British soldiers have been killed. Another 40,000 are injured.
How much longer did the battle go on?
- well into November.
Why did the battle finish?
- Heavy snow forced Haig to abandon his gains.
- With the winter weather deteriorating Haig now brought an end to the Somme offensive.
16. Field Punishment Number 1
What was ‘Field Punishment Number 1’?
- He is handcuffed and marched off to a position behind the lines. In full view of the villagers, he is tied the wheel of a cannon in a way that gives the punishment the nickname 'Crucifixion'.
- The humiliation is bad enough by itself, but it gets worse - he is put in range of enemy shell-fire!
- This punishment lasts two hours, and then he has to repeat it every day for the next month. After this he is sent back to the front.
What sorts of people were given this punishment?
- self-inflicted "Blighty". wounds
17. Gas Attack
What happened to soldiers who breathed in gas?
- His lungs being turned to sludge!being dissolved, and green froth bubbling from his mouth, you know that the poor devil has no chance.
18. The End of the War
When did the War end?
- 11th November 1918, at 11.00pm, hostilities cease
Why did Germany surrender?
- Unfortunately for the Germans, the offensive gets bogged down. With thousands of American troops arriving every day, Germany soon presses for an armistice based on the Fourteen Points Peace Programme of President Woodrow Wilson.
19. Conclusion
What long term effects did the war have on soldiers who survived?
- "It was terribly sad to look into those young faces and to see the lost hope there. One man was so paralyzed that he painted with a brush in his mouth, the only part of his body he could use. Another had fists so clenched that he had to be given an anaesthetic in order to cut his finger-nails to prevent them from growing into the palms of his hands".