Journal of Theodore Morrison

Entry 4

15th June, 1916

Dear Diary,

The trenches are quite a magnificent place. Not in the sense that it has amazingly shielded walls or that the structure is quite pleasing to look at-but the fact that it has multiple trenches all for different uses.

There's the front line trench, which I've volunteered to patrol first while three other soldiers called Anthony, Edward, and Henry joined me. The journey had tired us all, so Marshal Douglas Haig sent the soldiers deemed healthy and fit to the front lines. I must have surprised him by volunteering to go to the front line trench, for that is where the most fighting occurs. However, my persistence won him over and he let me go, looking quite pleased.

The trenches are split into four main sections. The reserve trenches are where soldiers restore their energy by laying low for a while. It's the most "safest" part of the trench to be at. After the reserve trench lies the support trench, where soldiers are waiting in line to help the soldiers on the front line or jump into battle. The communication trench connects the support trench and front line trench, obviously for communication. Finally there's the front line trench where as I mentioned earlier, it is where the main battle is at.

Lining the trenches are parados which protects the trenches from explosions, and there are also firebay. There's a forward listening post, commonly referred to as "sap" where soldiers can attempt to understand the enemy's motive. Far beyond is what we call the no-man's land. It's called a no-man's land for a reason, since it has no cover whatsoever, so the moment you step onto no-man's land you are basically "toast."

In the trenches there are elbow rests, parapets which are basically sandbags, ammunition shelf, fire step, a duckboard so you wouldn't slip on the mud, and a dugout for resting. There are barbed wires lining the front line trench so the enemy can't easily access the trenches, and there are some rotting humans stuck in the wires... I can still smell their rotting flesh... still can picture their glazed eyes and faint twitching of their fingers... I'm not sure if my mind is hallucinating and maybe it is. I'm not sure what's real anymore.

Our daily routine consists of morning stand-to for half an hour, to prepare for an enemy attack. Next we go through inspection which is when Marshal Douglas Haig ensures our rifles and our bodies are clean. During inspection, Marshal Douglas Haig orders us to take off our boots to check for trench foot, which is a nasty old thing. A soldier called Troye had gotten a trench foot, and he wasn't able to walk, with his red swelling foot and nearly blackened toe. After a quick breakfast of stale biscuits and murky water from the lake, I was assigned to sentry duty alongside two soldiers called John and Robert.

I haven't been able to sleep nearly long enough these days and the deprivation has led to my lack of attention.

Marshal Douglas Haig has punished me for not listening to his commands-assigning me to field punishment number one which consists of entailed labor duties which are attached to a fixed object for two hours.

During that time I thought about this war and wondered... Was this all worth it?

War would always happen-that was a fact. Conflict was bound to rise and no one would always be satisfied... So what was the point of this madness?

Every night I lay awake on the uncomfortable straw beds, never once letting my guard down. I would always grip the pistol's trigger as if it was my lifeline, and the only comfort I felt was the thought that no one had died.

My daily emotions ranged from anger, anxiety, disgust, and pride.

Anger towards the horrendous war.

Anxiety towards the unknown, and unstable future.

Disgust towards having to kill someone..

But pride that I was helping my country.

Everyday my sanity would ebb because the constant fear of death would never leave my side, always a constant companion in my daily life. Barrages of artillery fire, explosions in the nearby trenches, and constant fire snipers would always make my heart thunder.

It was impossible to get rid of it for as long as I stayed here in this trench, I would never be safe..