Conditions in the trenches were appalling; they ranged from smelly and dusty pit holes in the summer to knee-deep water and mud filled ditches in the winter. Although mainly problems were physical e.g. plagues of rats and lice, and trench foot, the most significant enemy to a soldier in the trenches was boredom. This occurred as soldiers did not spend all their time fighting on the front line, they had to repair kit and do sentry duty. This though, did not take long resulting in soldiers having nothing to do for the rest of the day. Many tried to keep boredom away by writing diaries, and trying to go to sleep. But with the constant noise of other soldiers and the threat of bombardment by the enemy resulted in these ideas not working most of the time.
The Generals due to this, had to try and keep the soldiers"tm spirits high and allow them to forget the cynical struggle of war and to recuperate in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. One of the places that soldiers were sent to was a place called Talbot House in the Belgian town of Poperinge. Talbot house was a place where soldiers were able to rest and entertain themselves forgetting the cruelties of war for a period of time. In Talbot House t
complex defensive systems. Conditions in the trenches were appalling; they ranged from smelly and dusty pit holes in the summer to knee-deep water and mud filled ditches in the winter. Although mainly problems were physical e.g. plagues of rats and lice, and trench foot, the most significant enemy to a soldier in the trenches was boredom. This occurred as soldiers did not spend all their time fighting on the front line, they had to repair kit and do sentry duty. This though, did not take long resulting in soldiers having nothing to do for the rest of the day. Many tried to keep boredom away by writing diaries, and trying to go to sleep. But with the constant noise of other soldiers and the threat of bombardment by the enemy resulted in these ideas not working most of the time.
In the capture of Neuve Chapelle in October 1914 the German army fired shells at the French, which contained a chemical irritant whose result was to induce a violent fit of sneezing. Three months later, on 31 January 1915, the Germans deployed tear gas for the first time on the Eastern Front. Fired in liquid form contained in 15 cm howitzer shells against the Russians at Bolimov, the new experiment proved unsuccessful, with the tear gas liquid failing to vaporise in the freezing temperatures prevalent at Bolimov.
The Generals due to this, had to try and keep the soldiers"tm spirits high and allow them to forget the cynical struggle of war and to recuperate in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere. One of the places that soldiers were sent to was a place called Talbot House in the Belgian town of Poperinge. Talbot house was a place where soldiers were able to rest and entertain themselves forgetting the cruelties of war for a period of time. In Talbot House two main rules existed on entry of the House; rank of the person entering did not matter- everyone was equal and, no pessimists were allowed. The house even incorporated a garden, which was extremely rare in the midst of war.
Apart from just introducing new weapons and the infantry charge, the Allied distress of Stalemate enabled them to produce a new variety of tactics against the Germans. A new tactic, which was hugely successful, was the "Creeping Barrage."tmThe creeping barrage was designed so as to place a curtain of artillery fire just ahead of advancing infantry, a barrage that would constantly shift - or creep - forward directly ahead of attacking troops.
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