Diary Entry.

Today on the 15th May 1915 life in the trenches is pretty horrible. Me and my mates did the daily morning "stand to" which is where we are wakened by our officer an hour before dawn and have to climb to the fire step to guard against any dawn attacks or raids by the enemy.

I could feel that winter chill as soon as I woke up for my "stand to" duty after only having a few hours’ sleep because the freezing air would not let us stay warm and sleep. It first started this morning with a light cool drizzle of rain but has now progressed to heavy down pour and everywhere you walk the mud is covering you up to your knees and is making everything that little more harder to do. Everything I own is almost completely ruined from all the water and mud in the trenches. Anything you touch is nearly frozen or has frost just sitting on it from the winter days and nights.

The food is still decent and there is still a sufficient supply of it. I am eating proper meals, but the water is very muddy from all the rain getting to our fresh water so I have been feeling a little bit dehydrated lately.  Many men have been falling critically ill over the past few weeks with diseases and just common colds but we don’t have the facilities or medical supplies to help them and many men have been buried in shallow holes all around the trenches. Everywhere you walk ythere are many bodies just lying there from being killed when the enemy has attacked and it is horrible to look at but nothing much can be done.

The odour of the trenches is disgusting with rats, rotting bodies, all the men’s bad body odour from not showering, cigarette smoke, cooking food and many more smells that tie in with all these. I am use to this horrible smell now but and also cause my body odour combines with it.