Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2016
Last exams 2025
Health Problems in the Western Front Trenches (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Joel Davis
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Illnesses Caused by the Trenches - Summary
Trench conditions on the Western Front led to many illnesses which required either treatment or prevention.
Heavy rainfall led to flooded trenches and prolonged contact with water for soldiers. Overflowing toilets and a failure to remove sewage effectively led to the contamination of food and drinking water. Rats thrived in the hot and damp conditions during the summer, which led to lice infestations. The use of artilleryand machine guns meant that soldiers had poor sleep and could not rest.
As a result, many serious illnesses arose in the trenches such as trench foot, trench fever and shell shock. These illnesses reduced morale amongst troops and led to an increase in casualties.
To gain an understanding of the medical developments which took place in the British Sector of the Western Front, it is important to understand the main examples of illnesses and how they were treated and prevented.
Ill Health Due to the Trench Environment
Trenches were unhygienic and cramped
Extreme weather made conditions in the trenches worse:
Hot summers worsened the smell of sewage and dead bodies
Contaminated water and food caused dysentery
Cold winters led to flooding and frostbite
There were 6,000 cases of frostbite in December 1914
Trench conditions caused many illnesses:
Illness | Cause | Symptoms | Treatment and Prevention |
Trench foot | Prolonged exposure to wet and damp conditions caused by heavy rainfall Poor blood circulation due to tight boots | Swelling of the feet. Numbness, foul smells and blue or purple skin caused by gangrene | Changing socks and adding duckboards kept feet clean and dry Whale oil rubbed into feet created a waterproof barrier Amputation was sometimes necessary to prevent sepsis or further infection |
Trench fever | Rats were attracted to the food and waste in the trenches Lice were identified as the cause in 1918. They attached themselves to rats and then soldiers. | Flu-like symptoms such as headaches, muscle pains and a high temperature | Drugs like quinine were unsuccessful Clothes were disinfected. Delousing stations were set up |
Shell-shock PTSD | Cramped and stressful conditions in the trenches Violence and artillery bombardments, especially during the night | Tiredness, nightmares, headaches, shaking and mental breakdowns | Now referred to as PTSD, shell shock was not understood well during the war. This led to many people being punished by imprisonment, fines or loss of rank Rest and treatment back in Britain for those worst affected. |
Worked Example
Describe one feature of ill health among soldiers that arose from the trench environment.
2 marks
Answers:
The soldiers often developed trench foot (1). They had to stand in wet and muddy trenches (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.
Make sure you read the question carefully before selecting a feature to write about. The above question asks you to describe features of ill health (also known as illnesses) caused by the trench environment. Discussing injuries caused by weapons would not be relevant to the focus of the question.
Worked Example
How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the problem of trench foot?
In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use.
4 marks
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Captain Impey. Captain Impey was an officer in the Royal Sussex regiment, which served on the Western Front. Here he is describing the conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
The trenches were wet and cold and some of them did not have duckboards covering the mud on the floor of the trench. Many trenches also did not have dug-outs where soldiers could shelter while they slept. The battalion lived in mud and water. These conditions caused many men to develop trench foot. Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches. Trench foot was a new illness and it was virtually important to provide dry socks for the troops. Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches. One section of the trench was kept as an area where men were sent, two at a time, to rub each other's feet with grease. They would do this at least once a day. |
Answers:
Detail in Source A that I would follow up: ‘Rubber boots were provided for the troops.’ (1)
Question I would ask: Was this effective in preventing trench foot? (1)
What type of source I would look for: British Army War diaries. (1)
How this might help answer my question: Extracts from a range of diaries could give us individual soldiers’ descriptions of the condition of their feet, providing an explanation of whether rubber boots were successful. (1)
This answer would receive full marks because it provides an appropriate question related to the detail selected from the source. The suggested source is precise and explained how it would answer the question.
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