It was fought by the French and British against the Germans on both sides of the River Somme in France, and lasted for more than five months. The largest battle of the World War 1 – the Battle of the Somme – is known as one of the bloodiest battles in history. 75% of all men who died in World War 1 were killed by artillery. In fact, it was the huge boom of big guns, called artillery, being fired on the Western Front.

In Britain, you could sometimes hear what sounded like thunder coming across the English Channel from Europe. For the first time, powerful new weapons and vehicles were used – at sea, on land and in the air – resulting in many people being killed or wounded. This war was very different from conflicts of the past. Every so often, soldiers on the Front Line would be instructed to leave their trench and venture into dangerous No Man’s Land (the area between the sides) to try to push back the enemy.Ī new type of war These big guns were new to warfare. There were millions of giant rats, overflowing latrines (loos) and terrible lice infestations. Over five million British soldiers spent time living in these muddy, miserable ditches, taking it in turns to be on the Front Line - the trench closest to the enemy.ĭid you know that we have a FREE downloadable First World War primary resource? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!ĭay-to-day life there was smelly and grim. Incredibly, nine out of ten men survived!īy the winter of 1915, the opposing sides had both dug long ditches called trenches which faced each other, in some places just 30m apart! These lines of narrow trenches stretched from the Belgian coast to Switzerland, and were known as the Western Front.

Life in the trenches in World War 1 Soldiers in the trenches would spend their days doing chores, firing at the enemy, playing cards and writing letters home. In fact, the First World War lasted four terrible years, not four months.

Many believed that Britain was so powerful it could win very quickly. When the First World War began that summer, most people thought it would be over by Christmas. Packed full of fun features, jaw-dropping facts and awe-inspiring photos – it’ll keep you entertained for hours!įind our magazine in all good newsagents, or become a subscriber and have it delivered to your door! Ask your parents to check out the ‘Subscribe’ tab on our website! (AD) National Geographic Kids is an exciting monthly read for planet-passionate boys and girls, aged 6-13!

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