Medicine on the British sector of the Western Front, 1914-1918The trench system

The trenches were dug quickly in 1914. This was because both sides wanted to protect the positions they had claimed and their routes to the sea in northern France and Belgium. However, they developed into a more advanced system that lasted throughout the war rather than one simple line of trenches.

• The trenches stretched from the French and Belgian coasts of the English channel, down through those countries and all the way towards Switzerland.
• The trenches were dug in a zigzag pattern as a defensive strategy. This would prevent enemy soldiers from being able to see, or fire, directly along a trench.
• However, the trenches were narrow and often got blocked. This led to problems moving and treating the wounded during battles.

Front line trench - These trenches were closest to the enemy. Soldiers would fire across No Man’s Land from the front line trenches.

Communication trench - These trenches connected the other lines of trenches. Soldiers would use them to move between the other trenches.

Support trench - These were dug behind the front line trenches. Soldiers would retreat to them during an attack.

Reserve trench - These were dug behind the support trenches. Soldiers would use these to prepare for a counter-attack.

No Man’s Land - This was the stretch of land between the Allied and German trenches.

Dugout - These were dug into the sides of trenches. Men would use these when they needed protection and rest.