How did ww1 soldiers send letters home?

Soldiers wrote letters in spare moments, sometimes from front line trenches or in the calmer surroundings behind the lines. Censorship dictated what servicemen were permitted to disclose in their letters. We hold around 7,500 collections of personal letters from the First World War in our archives.

What were the 10 things that made up life in the trenches?

10 Things That Could Have Saved Your Life In The Trenches

• Trenches. Equipment.
• Trenches. Trenches provided relative protection against increasingly lethal weaponry.
• Steel helmet. Uniforms and insignia.
• Steel helmet.
• Camouflage.
• Camouflage.
• Gas helmet.
• Gas helmet.

Why were soldiers encouraged to write letters back to their families?

Soldiers were also encouraged to write letters to friends and family in Britain. Most men decided it would be better to conceal the horrors of the trench warfare. As a result of the Defence of the Realm Act that was passed in 1914, all letters that the men wrote should have been read and censored by junior officers.

Why were letters from the front lines of the trenches read before being sent?

For fighting soldiers it was essential to morale and the British Army knew that. It considered delivering letters to the front as important as delivering rations and ammunition.

What did the rats in the trenches eat?

Robert Graves remarked in his book, Goodbye to All That: “Rats came up from the canal, fed on the plentiful corpses, and multiplied exceedingly.

Where to find letters from the trenches in World War 1?

Letters from the First World War, 1916- 18 Letters from the First World War, 1916- 18 Trenches 2 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/ Military kit: ‘no light weight’ Frederick G. Woodhams, 16 February 1916, France.

Is there a free essay about life in the trenches?

Free Essay: Life in the trenches : Letter home. Life in the trenches : Letter home. It has been quite some time since I have last written, the more I learn about this god forsaken war the less I want to discuss it, however I know you are sixteen now and may see it a duty to follow my footsteps.

Where did Reg Knight write his letters from the trenches?

Introduction This compilation consists of five letters written by Reg Knight of the Royal Engineers during the First World War. They are sent from various locations in France, Egypt and Turkey during active service between 1915 and 1918, sending news home about his actions at the front.

What was the floor like in the trenches?

Your whole body is shaking and you aren’t sure if it’s from the freezing cold or the fear of the enemy. The trench floors are made up of clay and sand on top, when it rains water is unable to pass through and the trenches flood, craters from shell fire fill then flood the trenches more.