world war I declearled on 4th august 1914, after weeks of tension, hesitation and uncertainty.
war was welcomed on all sides as an opportunity for glory, patriotism and adventure. mens from all ages rushed to be in the show, in the firm belieft that war would be over by chirstmas.
In source 7.1 shows how enthusiasm war was to britain,mens walking in hundreds towards war.
british governments was using posters to recruit more soldiers. in sourice 3.10 shows how effective british government posters was.
Every nation belived war would end before chirstmas, but unfortunally as war dragged alone soldiers started to realise war wasnt all glory and wonderful as they throught it would be.
As Both sides started to dig and trenches developed war became hell. "we imagine battles, artillery and the rattle of machine-gun fire, but one of the most lasting memories many veterans of the trenches have is the smell" soldiers spent up for weeks in trenches without changing once, this was a problem, but it was heaven for lices, these small insects made ther homes in the seams of clothings and their eggs were hatched by body heat. in source 7.16 is a picture of the german soldiers having a bath to get ride of the lice and any other dirty diseases.
it was not uncommon for the men in the trecnhes to have to stand for days at a stretch in kenn-deep water. The lack of drainage and the often incessant rain meant that the trecnhes were frequently full of water. This led to the condition of trench foot.
in source 5.4 shows a severe case of trench foot.
trench foot is caused by constand immersion in water. which swells up and sometimes toes could rot off.
Trench foot wasnt the only thing that was killing soldiers. gas was one of the scientific deveopments of war designed to break the deadlock. most soldiers who has been on the field long enough will know when to put on the mask when a gas attack comes. its mainly the new soldiers who has just arrvied who are the victims. In source 7.21 is a photograph of a victim of a mustard gas attack.
all these changed the attiude to war, soldiers were experiencing the living hell.
war was death. from source 2.36 you can see the the horror of war soldiers live through. no one expected the war to develop as it did, and as the war dragged on year after year, changes in attitude developed. men at the front came to see sacrifice as futile, the war as senseless slaughter.
