Life in the trenches
Life in a First World War trench consisted mostly of boring routine. Moments of danger were not frequent but big offensives, though rare, were bloody affairs. At night, patrols would be sent out to capture enemy soldiers for questioning or repair broken patches of wire. These were dangerous occasions. As soon as a suspicious sound was heard, the enemy would send up flares to light up the landscape. When this happened, the best thing to do was not to dive for cover but to stand absolutely still.
Snipers were very deadly and feared because any wounds received from a sniperīs bullet were often to the head. The following extract from one soldier's memoirs describes the effect of a sniper's bullet.
"Pratt was hopeless. His head was shattered. Splatterings of brain lay in a pool under him. Old Corporal Welch looked after him, held his body and arms as they writhed and fought feebly as he lay. It was over two hours before he died, hours of July sunshine in a crowded place where perhaps a dozen men sat with the smell of blood while all the time above the soothing voice of the corporal came a gurgling and moaning from his lips ... a death rattle fit for the most bloodthirsty novelist."
Snipers went to a lot of trouble to hide themselves. Steel-armoured, dummy trees were effective. From inside this, a sniper would have a good view of the enemy.
Soldiers spent only a part of their time in the front-line trenches where they were most at risk. In a 32-day period the average soldier might spend two eight-day periods in the front line, one period in the reserve trenches and one in total safety out of the trenches altogether. Soldiers spent much of their time in the trenches doing "fatigues" - repairing trenches, carrying fresh supplies or digging latrines, for example.
Comradeship
Though much of the early, patriotic enthusiasm for the war soon wore off - especially after the slaughter on the Somme in 1916 - one emotion among the troops did not change: comradeship. The sense of closeness to each other which came from sharing the same discomforts and dangers every day made many men feel a tremendous loyalty and affection for their friends.
Neil Demarco: Britain and the Great War; Oxford University Press, 1992/2000, page 12