Private Donald Fraser, a Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote about his experience during World War I in the trenches. In the fall of 1915, Fraser and the rest of his troops bring rations to the firing line for the 28th Battalion. They had to go three hundred yards before entering the trench and going another few hundred yards, all the while carrying heavy loads on their shoulders, with bullets whizzing overhead. They lived in dirty dug-outs with little space, and were constantly woken up to guard or to prepare for an attack. Sentries were always at the edge of No Man's Land to listen to the sound of any suspicious sounds throughout the night. Many soldiers lost an arm or a limb during the war, but many more lost their lives completely. Fraser wrote of his time in the 27th Battalion. He could hear the bullets firing around him, and see soldiers dying before him, waiting for his turn any second. At the end of the battle, they were at an advantage, slowly sniping off their enemies, the "Huns" or the "Heiny."
Life in the trenches would have been extremely hard. One would have to live in small, dirty, dug-outs, and be in constant fear of what the battle may bring. Like what Fraser said, they were constantly woken up to stand guard or to just prepare for an attack. The stress of not knowing whether you would survive must have been horrible. There'd be almost no way for someone to mentally prepare themselves that they'd die soon, or watch others die. How people would still have a sense of duty and patriotism is lost to me. To me, no war is worth the lives of millions of people. But if I did survive, I'd appreciate so many things more, such as having a nice roof over my head, having enough food, clean places, my family and my friends. Making friends is most necessary during the times in the trenches, for when one is down and worried about the fight, friends never fail to cheer them up.
Life in the trenches would have been extremely hard. One would have to live in small, dirty, dug-outs, and be in constant fear of what the battle may bring. Like what Fraser said, they were constantly woken up to stand guard or to just prepare for an attack. The stress of not knowing whether you would survive must have been horrible. There'd be almost no way for someone to mentally prepare themselves that they'd die soon, or watch others die. How people would still have a sense of duty and patriotism is lost to me. To me, no war is worth the lives of millions of people. But if I did survive, I'd appreciate so many things more, such as having a nice roof over my head, having enough food, clean places, my family and my friends. Making friends is most necessary during the times in the trenches, for when one is down and worried about the fight, friends never fail to cheer them up.