Where did the soldiers go to the toilet in ww1?

These latrines were trench toilets. They were usually pits dug into the ground between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres deep. Two people who were called sanitary personnel had the job of keeping the latrines in good condition for each company.

What was wastage in the trenches?

Outside of formal battles, snipers and shells regularly killed soldiers in the trenches, a phenomenon known as “wastage.” This regular death toll ensured the need for constant reinforcements.

What was the drainage ditch used for in ww1?

They were used throughout the First World War being usually placed at the bottom of the trenches to cover the sump-pits, the drainage holes which were made at intervals along one side of the trench. This made it easier to pump out the pits when necessary.

How did they shower in ww1?

Soldiers Used Either Buckets Or Deeper Holes Within The Trenches As Latrines. In order to go to the bathroom in the trenches, soldiers designated specific areas to serve as the latrines.

Why were body lice such a problem for the soldiers in the trenches?

Why were body lice a problem for soldiers? They stopped the soldiers from the trench fighting, and they got diseases from them. What did soldiers do to stop getting lice? They took hot baths and put their clothes in delousing machines; these methods did not work.

What were trench conditions like in ww1?

On the Western Front, the war was fought by soldiers in trenches. Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed. These conditions caused some soldiers to develop medical problems such as trench foot.

How was trench foot treated in ww1?

During WWI, trench foot was first treated with bed rest. Soldiers were also treated with foot washes made from lead and opium. As their conditions improved, massages and plant-based oils (such as olive oil) were applied.

Why was waterlogged trenches a problem in the trenches?

Much of the land where the trenches were dug was either clay or sand. The water could not pass through the clay and because the sand was on top, the trenches became waterlogged when it rained. The trenches were hard to dig and kept on collapsing in the waterlogged sand.

Do soldiers pee their pants?

Siddle wrote that in surveys of soldiers during World War II, “a quarter of combat veterans admitted that they urinated in their pants in combat, and a quarter admitted that they defecated in their pants in combat.”

What was inside a trench in WW1?

There was often an embankment at the top of the trench and a barbed wire fence. Some trenches were reinforced with wood beams or sandbags. The bottom of the trench was usually covered with wooden boards called duckboards. The duckboards were meant to keep the soldiers’ feet above the water that would collect at the bottom of the trench.

Was trench warfare used in WW2?

Trench warfare was also employed in World War II and in the Korean War to some degree, but it has not been used regularly during conflicts in the ensuing decades.

How deep were the trenches in the Civil War?

The typical trench was dug around twelve feet deep into the ground. There was often an embankment at the top of the trench and a barbed wire fence.

How did they keep trenches from getting waterlogged?

To prevent the trenches from becoming waterlogged, a narrow drainage channel known as a sump would be built at the bottom of the trench. This would then be covered with wooden trench boards known as duck boards. Soldiers who spent prolonged periods of time standing in waterlogged trenches were liable to suffer from frostbite and/or trench foot.