The Era Of The Great War #2: Life In The Trenches Flashcards

1
Q

How were soldiers in the trenches affected by Daily Routine?

A

Their days were monotonous - repetitive and boring

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2
Q

What did Pt Robert MacFie of Liverpool Scottish say about daily routine?

A

“It is deadly dull, and the dullness, more than the discomfort, is what strikes me”

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3
Q

How were soldiers in the trenches affected by Food?

A
  • Soldier on the western front were very critical of the quantity and quality of the food
  • They called it “boring”
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4
Q

What happened to food by winter 1916?

A
  • Food was in short supply
  • Bread was made with ground turnips
  • Their main meal was ‘pea-soup and a few lumps of horse meat’
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5
Q

How were soldiers in the trenches affected by disease?

A

The lack of fresh running water and clean toilets led to many soldiers developing disease

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6
Q

What diseases were common in the trenches?

A

Dysentery, Pneumonia, And tuberculosis

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7
Q

How were soldiers in the trenches affected by trenchfoot?

A

They developed this by standing in waterlogged trenches hours on end

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8
Q

How many men were treated in the British army for trenchfoot in winter 1914-15?

A

Over 20,000a

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9
Q

How were soldiers in the trenches affected by rats?

A

Rats scurried around the trenches, feeding off of rotting dead bodies and scraps from discarded food tins

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10
Q

What did Harry Patch say about rats?

A

“There were rats as big as cats”

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11
Q

What were jack Russell dogs used for in the trenches?

A

Catching and killing rats

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12
Q

How were soldiers in the trenches affected the constant threat of attack?

A
  • They feared death
  • The strain or living with constant noise, gunfire, shellfire, and ringing in soldiers’ ears led to many developing shellshock
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13
Q

What was shellshock?

A
  • Early symptoms: tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration, headaches
  • Physical symptoms: shaking
  • This led to many breaking down
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14
Q

What happened to the soldiers who broke down due to shell shock and refused to fight?

A

They would be court martial led and shot

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15
Q

What was the opinion on shell shock?

A

It was seen as cowardly

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16
Q

How many men in the British army suffered from shell shock between 1914-1918?

A

80k, 2% of all who fought

17
Q

How was life better in the trenches for officers and those high in command?

A

They were given “dug-outs”, better food, more time to sleep, and excused from battle earlier