passing the time
Soldiers passed their time very wisely. They would dig trenches to each other and play card games, after they war, it would look like a lot of mazes as there were tons of trenches. Below are the different ways that they passed the time.
During breaks in the fighting, they would sleep because exhaustion was a big problem. If there was time they would write letters home or read their mail. If it was possible, they would wash and de-louse each other. They would be sent to the kitchens for rations- if any were available.
Trenches may need repairing or clearing the debris and of course removing the dead bodies, if that was possible. The weapons needed to be cleaned regularly to prevent the guns from getting jammed. They also played games, sang songs, talked about home and even shared a fag or two. But, all of this could only happen depending on the weather. The soldiers could spend weeks knee deep in thick mud and up to their waists in dirty water which was full of rubbish and body parts.
However, the war didn't stop for long. They were constantly exposed to snipe fire, artillery barrages, gas attacks and sudden raids.
However, the war didn't stop for long. They were constantly exposed to snipe fire, artillery barrages, gas attacks and sudden raids.
A very collectible hand made item from WW1 was known as 'trench art' and this means anything that was made by soldiers at the front line. The usual things were hand made cigarette lighters which were made from 303 cartridge or wood carvings. Anything that was broken or thrown away could be used as art.
Lot of men wrote poems and songs to sing whilst they were march to and from the trenches. Many of the songs talked about the hardships of the trenches and what they went through. A good example would be "It's a Long Way to Tipperary." A song that I like and heard in primary school is "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag"