The trenches were made up of different sections, the front line trench was usually seven feet deep and six feet wide as it was so deep there was a fire step so the soldier could see over the top of the trench and fire. The trenches were not made in a straight line; as if an enemy shell was fired into a trench then it would explode outwards killing all the men in a straight line. If it was not straight, but zig-zagged, then only the men next to the shell would be killed, or badly wounded. Behind the front line were support and reserves trenches. The

Along the floor of the trenches were duckboards, which were there to protect the soldier’s feet from the muddy ground, which was created by the winter weather. In front of the trenches was a long line of barbed wire. This was to stop the enemy attacking on foot. The wire was often very tangled up and could not be moved. It was very underestimated in its strength as when the officers decided to go on a major offensive, they were often stopped by the barbed wire, and then shot by the enemy. As trenches were built like this, nearly all the battles fought were defensive. Along the trenches were dugouts were the soldiers slept, socialized and ate their meals. These dugouts were cramped most of the time and a lot of diseases were passed on through them. They were normally filled with sandbags for the protection of the soldiers. Also there were ammunition ledges, which the soldiers used to keep spare ammunition when they needed a quick refill. It was the difference between life and death for some soldiers. At certain places along the sides of the duckboard were fire steps. This was where a soldier stood to fire at the enemy.

In spring and summer, there was a high likelihood that there would be an offensive started, but in winter, the conditions were much worse. The rain turned the area into a vast sea of mud. It was constantly cold and a lot of walking would be done during winter across much of the land. Summer brought other discomforts such as the rats, flies, lice and the inevitable diseases. In addition to this, all of the soldiers faced the continual danger of artillery shells, snipers, trench-raids, and the predictable going ‘over the top’.

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