Task Four
Do you think that the German trenches would have been as bad as experienced by our
soldiers?
The Germans had better soil and better trenches due to their arrival before the Allies,
focusing on defending their territory. Their trenches were deeper, reinforced, and detailed (like
adding a drainage system), while the British trenches were shallow and hurried, leading to
frequent cave-ins. Sandbags and barbed wire were used to reinforce the trenches.
The German trenches were definitely better constructed than the British trenches, with
quality of life improvements like cement bunkers and a drainage system. Residing in the German
trenches during the war was most likely better than our trenches.
How do you think the officers felt about restricting the truth while censoring the letters?
The officers may have felt as if they were taking away their soldiers’ right to protest and
express themselves. The officers censoring the soldiers’ comments about how bad the war was
an invasion of privacy and also like they were muffling a call for help. The soldiers were having
a dreadful time fighting in the war, whether it be the lack of food/sleep, the dangerous infections
or exhaustion, and the officers were taking away their rights to complain about these things.
However, I also believe that the officers thought they were doing a favor for the families
by keeping their spirits up by not sharing the dreadful experiences the soldiers’ were
experiencing.
Think about your letter. What would be left if it was censored? How does that make you
feel?
If an officer had censored my letter, barely any of its content would be left, because most
of it was discussing how miserable the war would be for a soldier in the trenches. The key pieces
of the letter would be missing, making it seem like a dry, boring letter that would be sent to a
loved one.
If my sufferings I had written out in a letter were censored before sending it to my loved
ones, I would feel devastated and aggrieved. Especially if I were to die in battle and my loved
ones wouldn’t be able to know what had happened to me.
What do you think people at home would have done if they had known the truth?
If they had known the truth, I think the public would not want their family members to
participate in the war with unfit living arrangements, although it was advertised otherwise.
For example the war claimed that the soldiers would have a variety of food, but it turns
out that the soldiers barely had any food, and if they did they were corned beef.
If Canada were to go to war today, would soldiers suffer these same conditions? Explain
your answer.
No, I don’t think the modern-day soldiers would suffer the same conditions, or at least
not at the same level, because there are a lot of technological advances in medicine and artillery.
These advances would allow for a better life when serving in war. For example, trench foot could
be prevented in the present day by properly enforced boots. Advances in artillery, like more
efficient guns and more explosive bombs would make it easier to fight, but also harder to
survive. For example, a nuclear bomb’s blast could easily kill people and cause lung, brain and
ear injuries. A nuclear bomb’s blast is also quite large, requiring people to stay at least 3/4 mile
away from the explosion site.
Sources
Zones of Damage After Nuclear Explosion: Generalized - Radiation Emergency Medical
Management.
[Link]/explosion_damage.htm#:~:text=Severe%20thermal%20damage%20would
%20extend,site%20to%20lethal%20radiation%20dose.
“How Much Better Were German Trenches Than the British in WWI?” History Skills,
[Link]/classroom/year-9/german-trenches/#:~:text=The%20German%20t
renches%20were%20typically,strategically%20placed%20for%20maximum%20effective
ness.
