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7. The
duckboards
as a precaution for wet weather allowing soldiers
to avoid wet conditions; and
8. The
helmets
always worn at the front, although at the Battle of
Fromelles only half the soldiers were issued with helmets.
The open nature of the trench made the occupants susceptible to artillery
fire and mortars.
The Germans who had been digging trenches earlier than the allies and
consequently their trenches were superior in depth and often underground.
This meant that the German forces were less vulnerable to the preliminary
artillery barrage and were quickly into place after an artillery barrage.
1. The
principal aims of the trench systems
were to protect soldiers on
either side from enemy fire and to provide a solid base from which to
launch periodic attacks. Therefore, where possible, trenches were at a
depth that prevented soldiers from being fired at. Depending on the terrain
trenches varied in quality, depth and distance from the enemy’s trenches.
In some areas soldiers were only able to dig trenches to a depth of a
soldier’s breast, so called breastworks. Consequently, a sandbag and a
shovel were valuable items to be taken by soldiers to the Front.
George Lane of the 18
th
battalion, in his
Letters from the Front
, shows
this photograph of a working party of his units’ soldiers constructing a
new trench being faced with mud and slush that made it impossible to
construct a “proper” trench that would provide appropriate cover.
Poor and difficult ground conditions, in particular in the Flanders area,
meant that Pioneer Units had to construct breastworks above the ground
to give some protection to soldiers. Often the same conditions forced
soldiers to use “duck boards” or wooden panels, to get from one point to
the next. Generally, the German trenches, having been commenced first,
were more sophisticated and gave greater protection to the occupants.
Sadly in some battles soldiers in the heat of battle dropped their shovels; a
fact that made digging impossible and soldier’s protection in open fields
impossible.
See the poor ground conditions faced by Pioneer Battalions in the
photograph next page.
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