Today Year 6 have been finding about about what life was like in the World War 1 trenches. They used a range of primary sources such as poems, letters, photographs and artifacts.
Write a short (150 word) diary entry about getting up one morning in the trenches. What would you see as you awoke? What would you hear and smell? How would you feel?
Dear Diary,
Today has been a very busy and life threatening day. We all woke up to machine guns fired from the other side of No Mans Land. It was wet and damp and that was when we knew this day was going to be another day of constant rain, rain and more rain.
My bed is not at all comfy. I have got no duvet, my pillow is a rock, and I sleep in the dirt coming from the ground. It is so noisy with everybody firing guns, bombs and even grenades when I am trying to get my deep sleep. I am surrounded by lots of screeching people and a lot of dead bodies and bones are sticking out of the dirt walls.
One of my best friends at the trenches (John Peterson) says that this “war” is going to all be over by the summer at the highest. He is a very brave soldier who as dived into the German trenches over 4 times and has survived all of those 5.
I miss my whole family, Juliet, baby David and baby Sarah. If only, just for one day I could go back to Devon and see the family. I really do miss them.
From Oscar
I woke in a small contraption that smelled of dirty people. I get up and the first thing that I notice is that it was really muddy, wet and damp. The water was so deep that I struggled to walk along it. It was really open and there was spades every where from the men that have dug there to build there beds. It must have taken a long time to dig these trenches and a lot of hard work.
It was an consistent matter of hard living conditions. Many of the men that don’t dye are going to have to live here for at least a year. It was very cramped and not spaced out.The walls were slippery and muddy. It was a flow of water that kept filling the trench.
I woke to the sound of men dying and guns firing straight at me i didn’t know what to do i ran as fast as i could to the safe zone to get changed.Then a while after i stayed back at the trenches i was sent to go into the open fields known as no mans land were only the bravest of the men go but only the smartest come back alive luckily they had made a mistake and i was only meant to be on the mission guns.
Later on in the day we had lunch and a new cavilory was sent in to replace us.I had my lunch with will he was one of the other privates and he made it in no mans land now every body wants to eat lunch with him. That was my day didn’t do that much but i’m doing well
love TOM.
Dear Diary, 18.10.17
I woke up this morning to a great grey sea of sky stretched out before my eyes. My bed was like a rock on my withered back and the rags that barely kept me warm were now wet from the sludge laced into my jacket. The taste of thick smoke filled my nostrils and the rattle of gunfire blasted into my ears. Eyes drooping, I climbed out of my bed/dugout and went to see the General.
I was told to start with some shelling (my least favourite job) and began launching the explosives across ‘No Man’s Land, my ankles drowned in wet mud and my fingers numb with cold. Billy came up next to me and, giving me a cigarette, said Happy Birthday! I have no idea when my own birthday is; the war has ridden me of my memory and the harsh conditions of this awful trench warfare made my thirtieth birthday seem like any old terrible day: someone runs, they get shot; someone else runs, they get shot; someone else runs… You know what happens. At least Billy is here to cheer everyone up with a good joke, but that good joke could be at home, playing chess and sipping breakfast tea. But it is not like that and every second more I spend in this hell, I long and long for a life without war, a life where every moment is not spent worrying about death for no young man should ever experience the harshness that we have.
Walter.
Dear Diary
Today was another horrif day here at war. The trenches were filled with rats and we were almost killed. It started of alright because I got the best breakfast I have had since we started the war: Beef and Sandwiches. We then had to start packing to go on a march to find another trench.
When we arrived at our trench it turned out to be scattered with bones and had a stench of poisonous gas. We all came alert to this soon and we quickly put on our gas masks on to protect ourselves. What really ruined our day was the fact that we had to go back to the other trench which was 1o miles from where we were.
We had to sing songs till we got there and all the time loud gun nioses were heard we all felt like this was are last day.
I spotted a German soldier staring at me with a confused look on his face. He ran away after a few seconds but he looked extremly familiar. I carried on with my helemt killing my skull,it made be protective but aren’t comfy at all.
At night we all hated it because it was a mission were we had to run to the German trench and try and bring back a prisnor to question.
From
Lucas
Dear diary,
Today I woke up again to the sound of constant gun fire going off only 200 feet away. We had some cold sloppy breakfast for the first time in what felt like years. Only a couple of minutes after, my fellow soldier started to shout “Gas! Gas!”, and there was a sudden fumbling for everyone’s gas masks. He then gave the relieving signal that it was only a practice drill, and the obese General then gave the dreaded speech that some of us had to go and cross no Man’s land to go and capture some of the German soldiers only 200 feet away. But those 200 feet were the difference of life and death.
The next thing we knew was that the Germans were crossing no Man’s land and before we could worry about who will go and capture the German soldiers, we had to put those heavy helmets on our heads and position ourselves with our 5kg rifles behind the gaps in the sandbag walls. I managed to kill three people, the most I’ve ever killed. This lasted for around an hour or two, watching people falling to the wet, muddy ground before us. Standing still in the trench for such a long time caused the water to leak into my torn boots, which are now by the side of me, trying to dry.
I now need to go and have a small something for my “lunch”, which is usually the remainings of my breakfast. I’ll probably write in you again tomorrow, diary.
William S Brigg
Dear diary,
Today I woke up at 5:30. As I got up I banged my head on Jim’s bunk. I cursed but Jim carried on sleeping like a log if looks could snore .I put my socks on in bed and then got up into my boots but one foot missed and went squelching into the mud. I cursed the mud this time and put my foot back into my boot. When I went to sleep my boots were wet and now they were cold too. I made my way over to the food so I could have a cup of hot coco to warm me up after a cold night. I found potato and onion peel in my mug and I had to clean it up before I could use it .Today is going to be very tiring and so is tonight because I’m on watch and I’ll be surprised if I get a wink ofsleep -not that the time I spend in that damp and dirty bed is anything I enjoy.
Dear diary
Today I woke up by a nudge from the captain, He told me that everyone was shooting except me I was the only one sleeping I felt very ashamed of myself I quickly grabbed my gun and other equipment, unfortunately for the Germans one of them tried to go on No Man’s Land but of course he failed, everyone knows that if u go on no man’s land your automatically dead you either get killed by an explosion or a get killed by a gunshot. All this fighting and survival work makes me think of home I remember it like it was yesterday, Mother was cooking my favorite meal while Father was teaching me how to manage the farm and My little sister was knitting her first every sock I really do miss my family hopefully the war will be over and this will be the last ever war I would really not like to be forced to join the British army again. But today I achieve something great I was able to kill 10 Germans in a row but that was only because the tried to get on No man’s Land anyway I have to go now.
Dear diary,
Today when I woke up for a second I thought I was back at the farmhouse with my sister Livvy waking me up with her atrocious piano playing or screaming and the leaky ceiling dripping water on me.
Then all of a sudden, my brain chugged like a train back into action and I realised I was lying freezing and stiff in the trenches in my army clothes with the meagre peice of cloth we were given as a duvet draped over me. The noise I had mistook as Livvy was none other than the bullets and gun shots being fired. I hated that moment, the realisation was like telling a toddler there was no such thing as fairys.
As I stepped out of the little ‘bed’ (that was actually a hole in the side of the trench) the sight that met my own eyes was as sorry as a grave yard. There were dead bodies scattered everywhere and all the time new explosions were happening and the not-so-rare calls of ‘GAS’ were being screamed. The smell I smelt made me stagger at the stinkyness it was a mixture of body odour, dank and mustiness, and smoke not just a little but loads!
The early sunrise would of been a lovely sight if none of the fighting had been going on. The saffron sun waved at me from above whilst the grey unforgiving clouds tried to push her away. The few trees left standing were silhouetted and autumn leaves were drifting drunkenly down. A mixture of sorrow and slight envy crept through my body when I thought of ill mother , hard working old papa and merry little Livvy but relief that they were not here experiencing this hell made me cheer up. I placed the heavy helmet on top of my weary head and hunger made me go and meet the captain and although it was only 5 in the morning we had to report at 5:15 to the captain if we wanted to have the only food -which was this weird dried fruit- that we got all day.
I met some other soldiers and together, rubbing our hands on our coarse army outfits (which felt soft to our fingers compared to the guns) made or way through the trenches to the captain.
Dear diary,
I have just woken up to a dull, gloomy atmosphere, which seems to be very peculiar indeed. I am wearing a thick, mud-covered army costume and have been sleeping somehow in a dug-out hole (which is basically just like a miniature cave) with a foul-smelling sock as a pillow and a worn-out, torn felt material as broad as one metre and a half probably. My stone-cold, insipid nose is inhaling the damp, clammy odour all around the constricted zone, which seems to be the reason why I am coughing stridently with glory persistently. Luckily I have these wellington boots together on the left hand side of my diminutive cave, just about next to the hefty sacks stacked in vertical piles on top of each other, row after row, which looks like a brick wall almost. I need those boots badly, because below my grubby little prison without bars is a narrow stream of contaminated, grotty rainwater, which I definitely do not want to get my broad, expansive feet touching. Oh! What’s going on? Sorry Diary, although I will have to leave it there now, as I have just heard a sudden bang that sounds just like a, a bomb! And now deafening, ear-splitting shrieks of…soldiers I feel, that are dying in agony! I must go!
Mrinali
Today we learnt a lot about world war 1 and all about life in the trenches here is a diary entry based on life during war-time:
Dear diary,
I have been lying in the trenches for hours, listening to the screams and shouts for help by the people in danger, injured or mourning for their fellow fighters or what used to be. It is the muckiest day yet and I am not feeling too good. My tummy is rumbling with fear and hunger, my feet drowned in puddles of muddy water, and my back is aching from the rock hard beds we have to sleep in.
Soon it will be my turn to go up front, but I don’t think I can bring myself to step foot on no man’s land. I would be too frightened.
I haven’t looked out the top of the trench yet because I can not bear to think what I would see. All I could see coming from the battlefield is blood dripping down over the trench walls. The Captain said it was a sign of victory to show we have killed them, but I knew it wasn’t just the enemy’s.
I was fast asleep for most of the day but a man came and shook me awake he was screaming “GAS ATTACK! GAS ATTACK! I awoke with a jolt and banged my head on the rock above me. And tried to scramble my helmet on. I got it on as fast as I could and knew my training had served me well. I tried to help my brother but it was too late he was gasping for a pure breath but did not succeed. Death had drowned him before it was even noticed by most men.
Dear Diary,
Today the war took its toll on me, as when I woke up my body was aching. As I climbed out of the hole-ridden bed, my feet touched the slimy, water-covered floor; it felt as if I were touching mud. For a moment I wondered where I was, but then I realised. War. I heard the sound of gun-fire as filled the air as I put on my sick-green helmet. I grabbed an old rusty rifle and joined the action. Today there wasn’t much to do, so I just kept on firing at the enemy. The weather was like our spirits, damp, as we trudged through the maze of trenches. Suddenly a grenade filled with gas was launched into the trench we were in and everyone tried to get their gas-masks; I found my gas-mask but others weren’t as fortunate; Big Tommy couldn’t find his and the toxic stench soon invaded him. He writhed around like a worm in the mud and every few seconds a waterfall of crimson blood would come out of his mouth, as though he was a fountain. Today wasn’t fun, and as I ran back to our main trench the thought of Tommy filled my head. That was all that happened and as I lay down in bed I was relieved I was still alive; but my heart wept for Tommy.
dear diary
I was woken up by the sond of a hunder bullet firing .I din’t sleep that much because the germans would not would not stop firing and when they had the so called bed was so uncomfortable it felt like i just got to sleep and then we had to get up . But i leaped to my feet because i smelt a weird stench like dead rat i could almost taste it. I thought the german were in our trench so i look around and I saw all the guys in some sort of huddle i go over and see what they are doing. I saw a package like box with a messager. We all opened it and it was all food and rum so we all sat down an ate. To me it tasted like human flesh at one point I was frightened suddenly a gun shot went of with a bang everyone grabbed there guns I grabbed it so hard I think it could of became a part of me. We pecked over the top of the and saw someone running the germans also shooting bang he was shot dead . One of the men followed him bang again shot down and the one the germans they were shoot down bang .
Dear Diary,
I was woken up this morning by a sudden booming coming from a trench only about 100 yards away from my trench, or as I should be calling my home. I looked around totally alert and unaware of what was happening and after looking around I wasn’t the only one.
Seconds later the Chief Officer came out of his tent screaming at us to get ready and that we will be leaving our trenches to build new ones. The Germans had found us. I had hoped and hoped that this wouldn’t happen but it had and I was scared and I still am. What if they find us? We will be killed on the spot.
The Chief Officer came to me and told me that we’ll have to attack the Germans just kike they attacked us. My heart was racing even faster than us darting towards the Germans trenches.
I have no more time, Carl Jones.
Dear diary,
By the time you read this I will be long gone. What you are about to read are the horrific events of June 5th 1915.
It started like every other day. I woke up still wet from the day before shivering as the cold morning air chilled me to the bone. Sitting up, with my heavy steel helmet on my sore head, I got out of my uncomfortable hole and went to fetch my rifle. Walking along the narrow path, I could hear the thick mud squelching under my heavy leather boots. I violently scratched my patchy red neck, realising I had lice again.
The captain beckoned me and the rest of the men towards him. As he spoke to us his bushy black moustache moved strangely from side to side and he starred intensely at us with his piercing black eyes. Suddenly, a look of worry spread across his face. He coughed loudly before announcing that we would be making an attack across No Mans Land that night. My heart stopped. Inside I felt like screaming. What would happen? Would I survive?
We waited by the ridge of the trench. My heart pounded heavily as we stood there, quiet as mice. We were called up, clutching our rifles tightly to our chests. I climbed over the top and stepped cautiously into the desolate ground ahead…
Stanley Treherne
Dear Diary,
This is my second year in the trenches. The war has gone on for far longer than anyone expected and trust me those two years feel like thousands due to the harsh conditions of the trenches.
Today I was woken by the sound of gun-fire, the noise was familiar but far from pleasant. To my releaf the bullets were our own and there were no heavily armed Germans galloping over no-mans-land. When I finally got out of my “bed” (a hole in the wall) I was greeted by a large dirty rat staring up at me with innocent eyes. I was not alarmed like anyone outside the trenches would be, I just grimaced and shouted to the rat catcher who chased it down the trench and I never saw it again.
Most of the time trench life was boring, uneventful and loud but at times we would charge into the enemy trenches and take some more land. These charges were terrifying but they were better than sitting around in a cold, smelly, wet, dirty, rat infested hole in the ground.
The sun barely ever shines we usually just get rain or snow. When the sun dose actually show itself we know that nothing is going to happen except getting bombs droped on us.
In short trench life is tough an I think every soldier, German or English would agree with me.
Dear Diary
Today was a horrible day. I woke up this morning to the sound of gunfire in the air. I was surprised as the fighting never usually starts this early in the morning-the Germans are really lazy it is like they can’t even wake up to machine gun fire or a grenade. We usually get the advantage because of this. I got groggily to my feet rubbing last night’s rest. Everyone in the tent was solemn it wasn’t like the usual morning buzz. Then I remembered last night’s tragic events; I didn’t have time to write in you last night because I was on patrol with Captain Wyvern-it was very honourable to go with a Captain apparently- we were walking through the trenches about to clamber up onto No-Man’s Land and crawl through the masses of wire when it started. We had thought the Germans had gone in to their trenches and decided to lay off for the night but we were wrong as soon as I had gotten out of the trench to help the other ones up (as I was the tallest one on patrol) the guns started firing I pushed my head into the muddy sludge we called snow and praying to God that the others would still be alive and live their lives fully. I think my acting fooled them enough for them to ignore me. I hoed the others were as lucky as I was. When the stampede of German gunfire was over and they had all left, I tumbled back into the trench. As I opened my eyes I saw what I had hoped would not happen every single person in my patrol was… DEAD! I looked at Captain Wyvern and saw that he was the most injured out of all of them. He had a bullet wound through his head a ripped off leg still bleeding that deep red blood, I wanted to look away, but I was transfixed by the brutal horror the Germans had caused to one of the gentlest men on earth. I was shaken out of my dream by one of my mates; Tommy he whispered to me in harsh tones “He’s here!” I immediately knew who Tommy was talking about; He is the chief of the whole squadron that I am in. I hastily pulled on my uniform and saluted when he came in. I was so nervous, so many thoughts were racing through my mind why is he here? Who will be our knew Captain? Will he talk to me? When he walked over to me I almost wet my pants that’s how scared I was. He asked if I could have a word with him, realizing that that was a command not a question I followed him to a quiet corner in the ditch and said, “You’re the new Captain here is you’re uniform.” and with that he walked off. I was so surprised by that and put my new uniform straight away and went to celebrate. I decided to momentarily forget about last night’s ordeal and focus on the future. Apart from that today was a pretty normal day; fighting, resting, more fighting, more resting, to be honest I could go on forever.
That is all I have time for today going on another patrol now.
Captain Paul McKenzie
Dear Diary,
I woke early to the sound of guns being fired, men shrieking and bombs exploding.
A musty smell filled my nostrils and as I slowly climbed out of my damp and filthy hole, I could see men bent over, talking.
My feet were no drier than they had been the night before. The what started off being dry and dusty ground had become a wet and thick layer of mud. My helmet – which had previously been my father’s – made my head sink a little further into my aching shoulders. As I looked down, a hairy rat scuttled past me, briefly brushing my worn and tired shoes.
Life in the trenches isn’t as I had hoped, it isn’t the brief and glorious war we had all been expecting. It is a gruelling and hideous thing to be part of and at the moment, all I want to do is return home.
Robert Limestone.
Dear Diary,
This morning I work up to the normal work of staying ready for an attack. I don’t get why the commanders make us stand guard the day after an attack, Fritz never attacks twice in a row. The boys all start energetic but after a while they’re fighting against sleep. I nearly dropped off today but the worry of the firing squad woke me up sharply. Then after the almost inedible breakfast, we all started the laborious work that was pumping water out of the trench (we decided our trench name would be Great Suffolk Street). I just caught up on some sleep and am not looking forward to tonight. My group have been told to go and spy on the enemy and avoid being seen at all costs. I hope I survive tonight and am able to carry on with work.
Dear Diary,
Am I alive?!
This morning I woke up and was drenched in cold, muddy water after sleeping in that tiny, uncomfortable hole of mine. Every night I worry about the risk of getting ambushed and killed, I can barely fall asleep how much I worry, all I want is for this war to be over, for me to stay alive and to go home. Night is one of the most dangerous periods of the day, the only protection we have are these sandbags and these crudely assembled, terribly uncomfortable helmets, in addition, I always fear the Germans throwing a grenade or gas bomb into the trench. Anyway, back to this morning, just to get to my breakfast I went through losing my boots in the ankle deep, sloppy mud. Life in the trenches are absolutely disgusting! This morning I found rat droppings in my hair, but luckily, I got drenched last night so my lice have drowned but it’s not long till I get more of those nasty little insects. To be honest waking up is the worst part of the day, during the night it is extremely chilly and wet so you are absolutely freezing when you get up.
Got to go and capture a German, talk later.
BYE
BOB
Dear Diary,
I awoke on my hard, uncomfortable bed, which I dug out from the wall of our trench the previous night. The air was thick with intoxicating grenade fumes. I could taste the bitter tang of smoke on the tip of my tongue. My eyesight was clouded but I could still see the outline of Billy, who was staring into the mist between us and the Germans, with his rifle ready to fire, any moment.
I got up and waddled through the wet, squelching mud to my supply pack. I dug out my rations and ate a little piece of stale dumpling. It wasn’t the greatest taste but it was the only thing available.
War was always thought to be ok, when I was still at home, but now I know it is a hellish place. I pretend I’m a perfectly brave lad, but really, I’m afraid. Really afraid.
We arrived at the battle field cold,wet and worried. The Officer led us to a long deep hole, he said that it is where we’ll all be resting, eating and waiting until told to go onto the battle field. It was named a trench. It was a big drop, sometimes you could see soldiers accidentally falling into it when they’re not focusing. Our Officer introduced himself, he was named Officer Charles Luton but we were told to call him Officer Luton. The sun fell and the moon rose up, it was the only little light we had left. A few minutes later I was called on to the battlefield. I was shivering with fear, some other soldiers were called onto the Battlefield with me. I was relieved that I wasn’t the only one. People think it’s a piece of cake, but really it isn’t as it seems, having no light, loaded guns everywhere and. No food or water until dinner. Already people were either lying in a pool of blood or pretending to be dead. I was soon called off the battlefield. Dinner was being served, it it was the same old oat porridge, this would be served for three whole years. Finally it was bedtime, everybody was tired but before we went to bed we had to dig out our own cubbies to sleep in. It took me about 5 minutes to find somebody to measure me and 15 minute to dig it out. Every one was covered with mud and water. We all had to wash in the near by pond but we had to be very quick because if not the Germans would see us. I really don’t know if I will see my family after these three years.
Dear Diary,
I woke up at 6:00am in the morning thinking I was at home, when I looked around to see the same old dirt hole that was dug in in the trench. There was silence. When I painfully got up I realized my legs were aching still from yesterday’s escape from the gas bomb. I had put on my gas mask so quickly on and shot out of there that it felt like I had been going at the speed of light! The torrential rain had caused water that was knee-deep in the trench; it was more like a river.
I saw everyone else had woken up so we sprang into action. The first grenades came at around 8:00am. I mainly just sat in the trench all day holding my rifle just incase, however, some of the trench had collapsed cutting us off getting face-to-face with the Germans. At one point when I was getting the machine gun loaded, I heard a loud scream that made me jump. That’s when I turned around to see a German soldier, I all of a sudden felt extremely weak and I dropped to the floor, injured. The other soldiers carried me to my bed. As I am writing this, I am still in my bed recovering.
Dear Diary,
The Sun brushed against my eyes as I awoke. My eyes were still red and sore whilst my back ached. I had spent most of my day fighting and doing chores. The soldiers and I didn’t have proper beds to sleep on so we slept on the bare floor. There was also no fire to keep us warm so it was devilish cold.
As I got my gear on, the thick air smelt of grenades and guns. Another battle taking place on No Man’s Land I thought sadly. Before I was fully prepared, men were already coming back to the trenches injured and bloody and I could also hear groans and cries, gun shooting. So much was going on in such little time.
The metal helmet on my head began to strain my neck so I made a decision to take it off but as I did a soldier ran up to me and said ” Many soldiers are dead so we need you to take their place and fight on the front row. ” My spine began to chill when he said on the front row for I would never think of myself in that position. I usually felt more safe when he was in the middle since their were soldiers on my side surrounding me.
So off I went without a choice, trembling with great fear inside me that I was about to give. No I thought battling my own thoughts in my head . I was not going to give up , especially not now. The soldiers and I had gone through so much and have succeeded in some short battles during the night, was a part of. Feeling a lot more confident, I took my place on the front row in No Man’s Land , ready to face anything.
From Glenda
Dear Diary,
Right now, I feel like I just want a bomb to hit me. I absolutely hate life right now and I’m wondering why I even signed up for the war. I still think that Britain should of never of declare war on Germany because in the trenches the conditions are poor and so many people have been killed. I have only been here for two days and over 125 people have already died, and I might be next.
It’s the 18th of December 1914 and it is nearly Christmas also I don’t think that I will be with my family. The trenches really do stink and I sleep in a hole in the wall which is my ‘bed’, it isn’t even comfortable; I can sometimes see beetles, rats, cockroaches and mice. I have already written a letter to my family at home I have told them about the brutal sight and how I eat out of a metal tin.
I will see you tomorrow and I will try my best to cope with this!
Tom
Dear Diary,
Today I woke up with dead, damp bodies around me. I heard the screaming voices of the bullets and grenades flying like crows in the air landing with a BOO! For breakfast we’re going to eat usually stale bread and a biscuit. After that I am going on the front line to start shooting those pesky Germans, then in the afternoon I think I am digging a longer trench but I am not sure what I am doing in the evening.
I feel a little bit brave but mostly scared I don’t think I want to fight again I might as well go home. I’ve just heard from Officer Walter Tull that my brother has been injured what I am going to tell my mum or dad.
All I can see now is dead, bloody; soiled, rotten bodies settled peacefully sleeping on the floor. I have to go now to eat.
Goodbye
Dear Diary ,
As I woke up one horrible rainy day, we were in rain for a least two hours non stop. During that time we had to fight the Germans as I was getting ready to fight them then I kept hearing disgusting sounds like ,sounds of people suffocating and sounds of deaths gun shots to the torso it was the worst thing to sent the. I had barely no sleep because of the Germans kept taking our soldiers sneaking into holes under us and bombing it was truly are horrible time we had when we were at war. Because there wasn’t fires people had to freeze to save people’s lives the blankets were so thin and it would sometimes snow literally it was so hard for us to live. So when I finished dressing up and having a mug of tea I was told by the sergeant major that I was my and a few other blokes to go past the no mans land and bring back a German witch the previous men didn’t do. We got ready wore are hats and back bag which were like 2kg but I had to do it to save people’s lives. So when we entered no mans land we dug a hole quick hearing gun shots to the ear still but we finally entered the German trenches we saw a guy who was old.
Dear Diary
Today I woke up to the loud noise of gunfire. I could smell blood piercing through the air. I could hear bombs being dropped in the surrounding area not to far from our trench. There were shouts and screems of help and the worst part of all…we could smell poisonous gas coming from above. We all stumbled back into the center of the trench to put our gas masks on. We waited and waited for the gas to go away. Now at this point, five minutes later, the remains of gas got blown away by the wind. We took our masks off in relief and started to breathe in air. Fresh air. As my hands trembled I picked up my heavy gun. I looked around in case someone was running across no mans land. Nothing just silence. Silence. The wind started blowing hard; it was like the other enemy. It cut into my face like a sharp knife. Sharper still as time went by. I looked and saw the most and emptiness of no mans land. I hoped it would remain empty. As I did not want to see the enemy. I did not want to take a life. I just wanted to go home. I missed home. I just wanted to go home where the wind was not so cold and the smell and pain of battle was no more.
My diary entry of WW1
Dear diary,
We have finally arrived at our destination. By the time we had settled in it was about 1am. Luckily, before we went to bed we got a nice hot mug of tea and bread it was absolutely mouth watering. Unfortunately, for us we all had to sleep on dirty damp beds will a horrifyingly terrible smell.
The next day, we woke up to horrifying shock of gun and bullets being fired by the German soldiers. We were separated by a land called no-man land which was in-between us if someone were to go across it they would get shot right through. As soon we ducked down ready to shoot they exploded a gas bomb and I quickly put on my mask from the distance I saw a man who was struggling to put on his mask I wanted to help but I couldn’t I was too late he had already started chocking he looked at me frantically desperate for help by the time I turned he died drowning in the pool of mud I was sorry but I could do nothing.
It’s really cold and I miss my family if only I was at home making jokes and playing around. All my legs are wet and swollen and I’m getting a trench foot I hope to see you soon
Yours sincerely, Bob