The Trench System at the Western Front (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

The development of trench warfare - Summary

• British soldiers fought in trenches along the Western Front of the First World War (1914 and 1918)

• Trenches gave protection from artillery and machine gun fire

• They were used as defensive barriers to slow down the enemy and hold important territory

• However, living in trenches caused conditions like:

  • Trench foot

  • Trench fever

The organisation of trenches

Why were trenches built?

• By late 1914, fighting on the Western Front became static

  • Both sides wanted to defend land they had gained

• Trenches were an easy and efficient way of sheltering troops

• They were easy to defend but difficult to attack:

  • Crossing no-man's land exposed troops to barbed wire and machine-gun fire

The trench system

• Stretched 475 miles from the English Channel to the Swiss Alps

• By 1915, there was a complex system of trenches

  • Trenches were dug about 2.5 metres deep and built in a zig-zag pattern to limit damage from explosions

• The trench system had four main parts:

  • Front-line trench: Closest to no-man’s-land; used for launching attacks

  • Support trench: Around 80 metres behind; used to retreat and reorganise

  • Reserve trench: Over 100 metres behind; used for counter-attacks and resting soldiers

  • Communication trenches: Used to move soldiers, messages, and supplies safely between trenches

Interior of a trench

• Trenches began as a collection of foxholes dug by soldiers

• As the war progressed, trenches developed

• The experience of soldiers in the trenches varied depending on where along the front they were