A Soldiers' Life

Once assigned to the assault on Vimy Ridge, Canadian troops set up camps several kilometres behind the lines. There, though far from the front and out of the reach of enemy fire, they all learned to deal with death.(A Canadian camp at the foot of Vimy lies beside the graves of fallen French heroes. April 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)"

The spring of 1917 was one of inclement weather, and mud was a fact of life...(Unable to ride his cycle through the mud caused by a recent storm, a Canadian messenger carries his "horse". Library and Archives Canada.)

...and soldiers frequently found themselves wading in water!(A Canadian finds his tent and home under water. April 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

Not only was this water unhealthy, it made any getting around quite difficult...(Happy Canadians wading through a muddy road. April 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

... especially in vehicles(An anti-aircraft gun advancing along a road under water. April 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

Despite the difficult conditions and the war raging all around, the soldiers had to survive. They had to eat...(Cooking behind the lines, 8^th Infantry Battalion. May 1916. Library and Archives Canada.)

...drink...(Drinking water. 22^nd Battalion. French Canadians. July 1916. Library and Archives Canada.)

...and tend to themselves.(A welcomed drink at an advanced dressing Station. Library and Archives Canada.)

And when a friend did not come back from a patrol or a raid...(Library and Archives Canada.)

... they took care of the dead. (Burial scene. Library and Archives Canada.)

The day-to-day struggle, punctuated with the constant rhythmic sound of shelling, became even more difficult for troops when the time came to leave the relative safety of the camps to get closer to the front. (The Canadian Light Horse going into action at Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada.)

Preparing food became a surreal experience.(Canadian cook with his helper in the cookhouse. Library and Archives Canada.)

Being able to wash up...(A Canadian keeps cool in a bath near the line. Library and Archives Canada.)

...was the stuff of miracles.(His morning bath in the battlefield. Library and Archives Canada.)

The local "pool" was cold and contaminated...(Swimming in a shell hole behind Canadian lines. Library and Archives Canada.)

...and the sterility of first aid stations in the trenches was debatable.(First aid being rendered to wounded at Courcelette. Library and Archives Canada.)

While on the topic of trenches, do you think that all trenches were like this one? Well, not exactly. This one is newly-built and pretty exceptional.(Communication trench. 22nd Infantry Battalion. French Canadians. July 1916. Library and Archives Canada.)

The reality was more like this...(Draining trenches. 22^nd Infantry Battalion. French Canadians. July 1916. Library and Archives Canada.)

When soldiers started wearing high rubber boots a few years before the Battle of Vimy Ridge, it had pretty much eradicated trench foot (an infection that results when feet are cold and wet in constrictive shoes or boots, leading to a condition similar to frostbite). But the constant presence of water and filth still caused problems for those on the front line. Trench fever, causing high fever and painful joint numbness, was even more common. (Case of trench feet suffered by unidentified soldier. Library and Archives Canada.)

What is most surprising is that despite the horror of war and the threat of gunfire and gas attacks, despite the horrible weather conditions and the lack of sanitation, and despite exhaustion and illness, most of the faces we see here are smiling!

They managed to steal quiet moments to unwind.(Canadians enjoying a game of cards in a shell hole on Vimy Ridge. Library and Archives Canada.)

They took on hobbies to appease their soul.(A Canadian officer picking flowers among the barbed wire. Library and Archives Canada.)

They had pets and mascots...(Kitten born in the Trenches. Two pets belonging to Canadian troops. Library and Archives Canada.)

...and, in order to gain perspective and preserve their humanity, they even fraternized with the enemy at times.(A wounded Canadian and wounded German in the mud, light up. 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

...shave...(A Canadian having a close shave near the front line. Library and Archives Canada.)

...wash...(A motor transport travelling bath in the Canadian part of the line. May 1917. Library and Archives Canada.)

...or like this, or even worse!(A Canadian sleeping in the front line. Library and Archives Canada.)

"They speak of trenches but trenches is too romantic a name. These were ditches. As time went by, they had no garbage disposal, no sewage disposal, they became filthy, and in that setting men lived year after year." Lieutenant Greg Clark, 4^th Canadian Mounted Rifles.(A sapper in a trench with water up to his knees. Library and Archives Canada.)

Life was no better in the underground tunnels.(Dug-out entrance of the Engineering officer in charge at the mouth of the Tischer Weg into the dwelling trench. Col. Phillip Robinson.)

The men overcame the dehumanizing conditions by trying to retain some sense of normality. They expressed themselves by injecting whimsy or creativity into practical things.(A novel vane made by a Canadian. A glance at the vanes shows the troops if the gas alert is on or off. Library and Archives Canada.)