Soldiers' Account of Trench Life Life in the trenches was horrific; the frontline soldiers dreaded having to return to them. During their tour of duty there, they lived in considerable tension. The trenches were far from safe; possibly one third of all casualties on the Weston front were killed or wounded in the trenches, mostly from artillery fire. In this essay I will be discussing and comparing the accuracy and differences between the soldiers' accounts of the trenches and official accounts composed by the government. I will use my own knowledge as well as many sources from the booklet provided. The sources that I shall use will come from many categories including primary accounts of soldiers in the trenches, photographs, paintings, propaganda and official government accounts. I will note the uses of the sources including their strengths and weaknesses, their provenance, reliability the importance and usefulness as well as the limitations of their usefulness. In section A, I will look at sources from history textbooks describing what life was like in the trenches. Most of the sources in this section are official accounts produced by the government and are therefore probably reliable however there is evidence to suggest that these are used for propaganda or censored. Section B sources are also official accounts describing life in the trenches but these sources are photographs and drawings, these may be useful, but not very reliable as some of the photographers and artists were appointed by the government and may be censored, exaggerated or used for propaganda. So we have to compare and contrast to rely on the ... ... middle of paper ... ...- an idealistic picture of war, to keep everyone happy. The soldier's accounts however, were completely different and contradicted the official accounts in almost every way. There is a possibility (although unlikely as so many soldiers accounts complimented each other) that soldiers exaggerated the truth to make themselves look more heroic. The reliability of some soldiers accounts could be unbalanced due to emotions running too high, and then saying something in spite or hatred towards Germany, the British government, rats, lice etc. In conclusion, I find that generally, the soldier's accounts were more accurate than the governments as, at the end of the day, it was the soldiers who lived and fought in the trenches and would clearly be able to give a more accurate picture of trench life than official accounts.
In An American Soldier in World War I, David Snead examines account of George Browne, a civil engineer who fought as part of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during World War I. Snead shares Browne’s account of the war through the letters he wrote to his fiancé Martha Ingersoll Johnson. Through Browne’s letters and research conducted of the AEF, Snead gives a concise, informative, and harrowing narrative of life as a soldier serving in the camps and front lines of the Great War. Snead attempts to give the reader an understanding of Browne’s service by focusing on his division, the 42nd Division, their training and preparation, combat on the front lines, and the effects of war on George and Martha’s relationship. As Snead describes, “Brownie’s letters offer a view of the experiences of an American soldier. He described the difficulties of training, transit to and from France, the dangers and excitement of combat, and the war’s impact on relationships.” (Browne 2006, 2) Furthermore, he describes that despite the war’s effect on their relationship, “their
"Feature Articles - Life in the Trenches." Firstworldwar.com. First World War, n.d. Web. 05 Apr.
...be exaggerated to grab the media’s attention. The source A9 is helpful as it tells us how terrible the trenches were such as the diseases and hygiene problems that were present in the trenches.
Life on the Western Front During World War One A dispassionate look at the numbers of the horrendous casualties sustained by the armies of the Allies and the Central Powers on the Western Front in WW1, clearly indicate that these casualties figures are far inferior to what might be anticipated if, indeed, total war had reigned in every location, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and along all the 475 miles of trenches that extended from the North Sea to Switzerland. A couple of simple examples will readily make the case. Imagine two front-line trenches separated by only 20 to 30 yards of ‘No Man’s Land’ (in some extraordinary situations, distances were even less). A determined and prolonged effort by a few hand-grenade bombers on either side could make any hope of a sustained tenancy quite impossible. Again, given the accuracy and rapidity which trench mortars could be deployed against routinely manned trenches (one battalion per 1,000 yards) and their associated dug-outs, a quite short, but determined, and mutually hostile, barrage could readily reduce both trench systems to total ruin.
Charles Yale Harrison’s “in the trenches” and mark twain's” two ways of seeing a river” are both autobiographical narratives that use descriptive language. In Harrison’s “in the trenches,” his brilliant use of sensory imagery lets the readers mind experience the treacherous and horrendous reality of war, with just the use of words. On the other hand, in twains “two ways of seeing a river,” the use of sensory imagery is carefully used to help the reader visualize the change in twains perception of the once “majestic river.” Both authors effortlessly utilize imagery to illustrate the realities of their topics. Harrison uses all the aspects of sensory imagery to display the life men are living in the trenches; meanwhile, in twains essay, he partially
a realistic picture of life in the trenches as he had known it and a
Autobiographies, diaries, letters, official records, photographs and poems are examples of primary sources from World War One. The two primary sources analyzed in this essay are the poems, “Anthem for Doomed Youth” by Wilfred Owen and “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. Primary sources are often personal, written from the limited perspective of a single individual. It is very difficult for the author to capture their own personal experience, while incorporating the involvement and effects of other events happening at the same time. Each piece of writing studied describes the author’s perception of the war. Both of the poems intend to show to grave reality of war, which often was not realized until the soldiers reach the frontlines. The poems were both written at battle within two years of each other. However, the stark difference between the two poems is astonishing. “Anthem for Doomed Youth” gives a much different impression than “In Flanders Field” despite the fact that both authors were in the same war and similar circumstances. The first two lines in “In Flanders Fields” “…the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row on row.” are an image o...
The Nature of the Trenches and Their Effectiveness as a Method of Defence Trenches were first introduced during World War 1, the sole purpose of the trenches being, a strong method of defence. When both armies of equal strength met, deadlock/ stalemate occurred (end of 1914). The war of movement ended, this resulted in soldiers in digging holes, roughly 3metres in height and 1.5metres wide, known as trenches, for protection along the front line. Soldiers built trenches because men wanted to find shelter from the weight and firepower of modern arms and artillery, as underground was the best hope of survival. This was the introduction of the first trenches during the stalemate, towards the end of 1914.
The hardships and dangers faced by American soldiers as described in the diary of Corporal Elmer Sherwood is that of daily pain, fear, horror, hunger and sadness. He talks about how it was so common for explosions to be nearby and that you always are in a worried state of mind because you don’t know if you are safe wherever you are. The trenches were supposedly a safe zone but like he described in his diary, a bomb got tossed into the very same trench he was just hiding out in and he say a few of his buddies die and get badly injured. Sherwood’s diary entry describes how it has been a very hard life being a soldier. You see so many people die and you can’t do anything about it. This was his first time watching someone die that he was actually
...ings by then, whose memories, fears, and enthusiasms should not be remembered." Thus, unlike the title suggests, this remarkable war memoir is not about one soldier. Instead it refers to the entire German army who were defeated by the Allies. Although the German cause was very controversial, these gentlemen bravely fought for their country. Many men died, many were mutilated, and many more had to forever live with the atrocities they encountered. At war's end, however, they were merely "forgotten" for their failure of success. And although The Forgotten Soldier is an astonishing account of the horrors of infantry warfare, it serves a much greater purpose. It allows the historian to glance into the German experience and realize they too were young men fighting because their nation called upon them, and they deserve to be remembered for such a courageous act.
Text Box: Henry Gregory of 119th Machine Gun Company was interviewed after the war about life in the trenches. “When we arrived in the trenches we got a shock when the other soldiers in the hut took their shirts off after tea.
"First World War.com - Feature Articles - Life in the Trenches." First World War.com - A Multimedia History of World War One. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. .
In document thirteen, we encounter a letter written by a young English soldier fighting the Germans from the woods. He starts his letter by explaining how once again he was forced to be out in the trenches for forty-eight consecutive hours. The letter, addressed to his parents, illustrates how devastating it can be for a young man out at war. When he asked for time alone they told him to take a group of men with him and after a bit of difficulty they finally let him go off on his own. While he is out on a stroll he comes across a German trench and kills an officer, he does the same thing the next day. By the end of the letter he simply defines the experience as awful.
In Paul Fussell’s book, The Great War and Modern Memory, he discusses some of the ways in which World War I affected the men who fought in it, specifically those in the trenches. One of Fussell’s main points in his book as he tries to characterize World War I was the widespread irony that spread in its wake. Even though the focus of his book is based upon the British perspective of World War I, Fussell also briefly mentions the effects of the war upon other countries involved in the war.
There was barely room for two men to brush by each other. In the front of each trench is a parapet made of sandbags. These are almost bulletproof, but they provide little to no protection from shell fire. The trench was about seven feet in height from the top of the parapet and about four feet wide. There is a small ledge along the front that is used to fire over the sandbags. In the rear are the dugouts. The dugouts are basically small caves with just enough room for two men to lie down in. Our job in the trenches was to continuously fire at the German lines. which are about 200 yds. away, and to attack any of their men that showed up. Every night, we all must be on standby. No one is allowed to sleep or be in the dugouts. During the day one out of a group of three has to be on duty, taking their turn in shifts of two hours. This gives each man four hours to cook and feed themselves, clean out the trench, and do any other work. There is seldom time for sleep. Please send love to Mother and the others. I hope to see you all