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The first organised trench
raid by a British Army unit was carried out by Lieutenant
F. C. Roberts and 25 men of the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire
Regiment, on the night of the 3rd January
1915.
Conditions - Rations - Routines |
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Front-line trenches could be cold, dirty and cramped
in Europe. Even in summer they tended to collect water, and
in winter become mud-choked. In the Middle East they tended
to be hot, stuffy and dusty instead.
Trenches were never meant to be lived
in, and were very basic in design. They zig-zagged so that if
a shell or grenade landed in it than the men either side would
be protected from the blast. Small 'dug-outs', scrapped out
of the sides of the trench provided a little shelter and sleeping
space for the men. |
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Most
work in the trenches would be done at night, and the men would
get little rest or sleep. Trenches were always being strengthened
or extended, and new listening posts in No Man's Land, latrines,
or machine gun posts being dug. The barbed wire in front of
the trenches were also added to and repaired.
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Sometimes
at night each side would carry out raids on the enemy trenches.
Because of this, sentries were trebled at night. The first organised
trench raid by a British Army unit was carried out by Lieutenant
F. C. Roberts and 25 men of the 1st Battalion, Worcestershire
Regiment, on the night of the 3rd January 1915. |
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At 8.45pm they were sent over the top
to clear out a new German trench which had been dug only about
50 metres from their own lines.Trench raids were usually terrifying
affairs for both sides, involving hand-to-hand fighting in cramped
spaces and the pitch dark. This time, however, the German's
were caught by surprise and the trench cleared after a short
fight. Two of the Worcesters were killed, and Lt. Roberts was
awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Three men - Sergeant
H. Edwards, Lance-Corporal G. Darby and Private H. Evans - all
won the DSM , Distinguished Conduct Medal. The DSO was only
awarded to officers, but the DCM was its equivalent for the
other ranks, and the two medals were second only to the Victoria
Cross. |
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- Rations - Routines |
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Rations varied in the front line. At times it was often
'bully' beef, beans or stews, with large hard biscuits or bread
and tea or water. At quiet times, though, and while in the rear
area the food was very good and varied - curries, stews, soups
and even steaks, all with lots of vegetables.
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A typical First World
War recipe: Rissoles for 150 men.
Ingredients: 28lbs of meat, 14 lbs of bread,
5 lbs of onions, 5 lbs of flour, 6 ozs of pepper, 4 ozs of salt,
2 packets of mixed herbs.
Method: Remove the meat from the bones. Cut up into small pieces.
Clean and cut up the onions. Soak the bread in cold water. Place
the meat through the mincer. Squeeze the water out of the bread
and crumble up. Place the whole of the ingredients into a mixing
bowl and mix well together. Then pass the whole through the mincer.
Sufficient flour being added to bind the rissoles, make into sausage
shape weighing about 5 ounces. You put about 24 into an Aldershot
baking tin, and allow to cook for 40 minutes. Well grease the tins
first.
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- Rations - Routines |
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The strain of front-line life meant that only 3-4 days
was spent there at a time. Early in the war, when the Army was
still small then the men spent three days in the trenches, three
days out, then back in again. The strain from this was terrible.
Later, as the Army grew, each spell at the front was followed
by 3-4 days in the support trenches, and then a period in the
rear. |
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in the rear the troops would work by night bringing up supplies
or repairing trenches and barbed wire, and train and rest by
day. About once a year each man would get ten days leave in
England, although travelling there could take 3-4 days each
way. |
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