What work was done in the trenches?

Following morning stand-to, inspection, and breakfast, soldiers undertook any number of chores, ranging from cleaning latrines to filling sandbags or repairing duckboards. During daylight hours, they conducted all work below ground and away from the snipers’ searching rifles.

What is a work detail ww1?

Work detail a specific task assigned to an individual or group, usually entailing physical labour.

What was the daily routine like in the trenches?

Individuals spent only a few days a month in a front-line trench. Daily life here was a mixture of routine and boredom – sentry duty, kit and rifle inspections, and work assignments filling sandbags, repairing trenches, pumping out flooded sections, and digging latrines.

What was life like in trenches ww1?

Trench life involved long periods of boredom mixed with brief periods of terror. The threat of death kept soldiers constantly on edge, while poor living conditions and a lack of sleep wore away at their health and stamina.

How did trench warfare work?

Each trench was dug in a type of zigzag so that no enemy, standing at one end, could fire for more than a few yards down its length. Each of the main lines of trenches was connected to each other and to the rear by a series of communications trenches that were dug roughly perpendicular to them.

What did soldiers do in the trenches for fun?

In their spare time, soldiers wrote letters and diaries, drew sketches, read books and magazines, pursued hobbies, played cards or gambled. There were also opportunities for more-organised social activities.

What did soldiers do for fun in the trenches?

How did soldiers sleep in trenches?

Getting to sleep When able to rest, soldiers in front line trenches would try and shelter from the elements in dugouts. These varied from deep underground shelters to small hollows in the side of trenches – as shown here.

How long did it take to dig the trenches in ww1?

The British said it took 450 men 6 hours to build about 250 meters of a trench system. Most of the raids took place at night when soldiers could sneak across the “No Mans Land” in the dark.