Guest Clarity Posted 28 March , 2004 Share Posted 28 March , 2004 I was just wondering on what people thought. In WW1 the conditions in trenches were awful, and the death rate was high. Yet, there was patriotism, the what they call the 'thrill' of war, and the strong friendship between soldiers. Overall, would you say their life in the trenches were happy, or unhappy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john w. Posted 28 March , 2004 Share Posted 28 March , 2004 Hi Clarity... The more I read and experience this part of history the more dark it becomes for me. True the camaraderie, was great, but for the regular Tommy life was hard. From my research most of the offences recorded were for being drunk, that speaks volumes. What effect it had on those who returned we may never know. To me with all the lack of food, the cold, the fact that someone was out to kill you, not good... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 29 March , 2004 Share Posted 29 March , 2004 I have just finished re-reading John Ellis's "Eye-deep in hell - Life in the trenches 1914-1918" (1976). It sure wasn't fun ! Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Nixon Posted 30 March , 2004 Share Posted 30 March , 2004 I don't remember any of the hundred or so veterans I interviewed in the eighties and nineties talking about the 'thrill' of war. The vast majority were just pleased to get out of it in one piece - and the majority of the men I spoke to were invalided out. They enjoyed the companionship for sure but for the most part, trench routine for the PBI was largely boredom and discomfort punctuated by moments - or prolonged periods - of extreme terror. Love of their country and an unswerving faith in the justness of Britain's cause ensured that Kitchener's armies were soon filled. I often wonder what would happen in Britain today if a similar call went out. "Never such innocence again." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBettsMCDCM Posted 4 April , 2004 Share Posted 4 April , 2004 I suppose 'happiness' would have been a relative thing,if you knew your life for the present moment & forseeable future was to be confined to the surroundings of your Trench I would imagine that any pleasures you might have,would have been eagerly & preciously guarded,A Fag,a game of Crown & Anchor,Writing & Receiving Mail,Tea & A Wad;A Rat Hunt; Mealtimes & the Rum Ration would have been the main moments of joy in the line:A Bed,Bath, & de~louse,Oeuf & Pommes Frites,Beer & A Mademoiselle on your Knee if you managed a trip behind the Lines for R & R on a spot of leave.It would appear the Human Physce can accomadate the foulest of living conditions,How else does one explain the Theatre Groups Etc in Jap POW Camps~Strength in adverstity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Burgoyne Posted 4 April , 2004 Share Posted 4 April , 2004 From my research most of the offences recorded were for being drunk, that speaks volumes John it was very common back then for men to drink hard knot just at the battlefields but back home. From what I know of Ludlow and Clee Hill back then they drank like fish, you only have to count all the pubs in my area back then. Annette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pat Posted 4 April , 2004 Share Posted 4 April , 2004 I think it depends which phase of the war they were in. One of my grandfathers was lucky enough to be wounded out of it after 6 weeks in France in 1915 and spent the rest of the war in England. Not that I ever met him, but he stayed in the TA between the wars so he can't have hated it that much. For him I think WW1 would have been a proud time of comradeship and patriotism. My other gf was younger and didn't go to France til 1917. By then the conditions were far worse and the death toll beggared belief. He would have known what he was letting himself in for and he would have heard about boys a year or two older than him at school being killed. He never said a word about his experiences til his dying day. For him it must have been appalling. Both of them joined up again in 1939 Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 5 April , 2004 Share Posted 5 April , 2004 Most did their tours of duty with a Stoic resigation. "We're here because we're here, because we're here...." Life in the trenches was mainly boring, but interespersed with periods of intense fear, and generally very uncomfortable. The one positive thing which shines through was the cameraderie. It has been described as being a non-sexual but far more intense closeness amongst men than anything experienced in civy life. They quite literally fought for and were prepared to die for each other. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 6 April , 2004 Share Posted 6 April , 2004 Surprisingly, many veterans claimed that, apart from life threatening incidents, soldiering was actually somewhat easier than the heavy manual jobs that many men did in those days. Compared to coal mining, for instance, army life was said to be less arduous and better fed. Probably a large part of the population would have been lousy in those days, not to mention bedbugs, which one doesn`t hear of in the trenches. I still wonder if I`d have been able to stick it! Phil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alessandro Milan Posted 7 April , 2004 Share Posted 7 April , 2004 Well, to get a good picture of life in the trenches I'd suggest some waist-high mud (frozen or "stirren"), some trench foot and trench fever, reumathic fevers, lice, rats, a good sprinkle of most common disease like epidemic flues and enterithis, without forgetting lack of decent food and, most of all, chronicle and almost forced lack of sleep. If we then add a monthly bath with tepid water (if you were lucky) and being stalked all day and night long by vicious snipers' bullets, a comprehensive picture of such unimaginable hardship should struck any WWI scholar or student. If you are still undecided about whether any element of "fun" still existed amongst such painful trials, try reading All Quiet On The Western Front and Vera Brittain's Testament of Youth (just to mention a couple of classic) - alternatively, try "They Called It Passchendaele" or "The First Day On The Somme". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tazman Posted 8 April , 2004 Share Posted 8 April , 2004 "They Called It Passchendaele" or "The First Day On The Somme". Lynn MacDondal's study of the life & conditions in the line up to and during 3rd Ypres is a fantastic read. They Called it Passchendaele has lots of first-hand accounts, many interviewed by the author. Unfortunately out of print, I ordered mine used form The UK! Most US libraries of any caliber have it. Oh, and by way of introduction - I'm Mike, midwestern US, been reading up on WWI over the last couple years. Great forum you've got here, and I look forward to joining the fray. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Burgoyne Posted 9 April , 2004 Share Posted 9 April , 2004 Hi Mike Welcome to the forum. I have most of Lynn MacDondal's books and they are all a good read, it's the first-hand accounts that do it for me. Annette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tazman Posted 9 April , 2004 Share Posted 9 April , 2004 Hi Mike Welcome to the forum. I have most of Lynn MacDondal's books and they are all a good read, it's the first-hand accounts that to it for me. Thank you for the welcome, Annette. I have seem MacDonald's Somme book, and was tempted - however my current research is quite narrowly put in Flanders in 1917. When I break out of this project, I will probably dig into it as The Somme is just as fascinating to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian Dawson Posted 9 April , 2004 Share Posted 9 April , 2004 I have been working my way through Lynn's books, in reverse chronological order. I've just read 1915, the Death of Innocence. It is a quite awesome read (and I mean that literally). This author, with her use of first hand accounts, brings the full horror, comradeship, and indeed lighter side of life in the Great War completely to life. Its almost as though you were there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest clairejoansson Posted 13 April , 2004 Share Posted 13 April , 2004 I think that men try to get the best out of any situation they are in, that's human nature, that's how men survived for ages to the most terrible catastrophes...but...apart from all the diseases...do you imagine the condition af a man far from family and friends, far form his wife and children, knowing nothing of what's going to happen to him, obliged to fight and kill other men who are exactly like him, far from their families maybe in a foreign land, this I think must have been the most distressing thing to many soldiers...and it's probably true for WW1 as well as all the other wars...WW2, Vietnam etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsman64 Posted 20 April , 2004 Share Posted 20 April , 2004 Having read the comments and most of the books mentioned in the replies I think we can safely say that the individuals experiences where very much a case by case issue. I had the pleasure of talking at length with several WW1 soldiers many years ago at a Royal British Legion function and they talked about the comradeship the life behind the lines being very good, good food, clean clothes, plenty of wine! They glazed over and did not say much about being up the sharp end, but we know all about that from the first hand accounts we have read. I cannot comprehend how did they balance the difference between rest times out of the trenches when life was in many cases, clearly better than home and then being thrown back into the cauldron again. A few of course where very lucky I have a BWM/Victory/Jubilee/Coronation, group of 4 medals to a private in the RAMC who later went on to become a Mayor of Leytonstone, Justice of the peace and County Councilor. The related ephemera is 10 Hand coloured postcards from Eygpt where he clearly states "Having a wonderful time" and comments such as "I cannot believe the beauty of this country", " having a lovely war!" So some where clearly very fortunate in how they spent their war service. Does anybody have any figures on what % of troops in F&F where in the front line at any one time? How often where they pulled out to reserve locations for a rest? Anyway great site keep the information flowing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 20 April , 2004 Share Posted 20 April , 2004 I like the alleged comment of one officer at the announcement of the armistice - "Thank Goodness! Now we can get back to real soldiering" Phil B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorts Posted 20 April , 2004 Share Posted 20 April , 2004 Surprisingly, many veterans claimed that, apart from life threatening incidents, soldiering was actually somewhat easier than the heavy manual jobs that many men did in those days. Compared to coal mining, for instance, army life was said to be less arduous and better fed. My great grandfather enlisted pre-war to get out of the coal mines. He was WiA twice, and discharged as no longer fit for active service. The army however stipulated on his release that he was still of use to the war effort and forced him to go back down the mines. He hated narrow face mining, but post war he got out of the coal mines and helped dig the Northern line on the underground. Rgds, Alex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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