World War One Flashcards
What where conditions like in trenches?
There was a big problem with hygiene.soldiers rarely showered which created problems like body lice.Dead corpses beside trenches caused more infections and trenches where infested with rats.Poor and repetitive diet caused soldiers to get weaker.
Weapons used where machine guns,barbed wire,chlorine gas which burned your lungs tissues and mustard gas which caused blindness.Humid conditions and poor fitting boots caused trench foot,which made their feet swell up twice their normal size,and sometimes they had to amputate it.Camaraderie,soldiers enlisted with their friends which helped with the big boredom issue.
Why did men go to war?
Family and personal reasons:Family tradition to fight in the army or to impress women
Work opportunity:Many didn’t have a job,also low wages in Britain
Compensation:their families received money
Patriotism and peer pressure:Some went for the love of their country,propaganda helped to encourage people to go to war,others where scared of being called a coward.
