TRENCH WARFARE.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4627, 7 May 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

TRENCH WARFARE.

“ DIGGING IN” UNDER FIRE. For a distance of 300 miles trenches stretch across France, which shelter thousands of soldiers who have buried themselves in the ground like rabbits. If the Allies or the Germans only advance a hundred yards, they immediately begin to dig themselves into the ground. It is practically impossible for soldiers to remain in the open and live under modern artillery fire. When a column of soldiers advance until they can go no farther they hold the ground they have gained by burrowing into the earth. Each soldier lies flat on the ground and, by means of trenchingtools, or failing them his bayonet, makes a shallow trench at his side, carefully placing the loose earth in a pile at his head. This hole is sufficiently deep to safeguard him from stray bullets, and under cover he begins to dig another and deeper trench at his side. This is known as a “lying down” trench, and, being about 2ft. deep, hides the soldiers body from the enemy when he crawls into it. In those roughly-constructed shelters the troops lie until darkness sets in, when the engineers, with a formidable array of pick-axes, saws, and spades, set to work to enlarge the “lying down” holes until they arc deep enough to shelter a standing soldier. The dirt taken from the trenches is carefully piled up in front of the shelter to form a parapet which swallows up the force of bullets.

A short distance behind the trenches, actually in the firing-line, .shelters are constructed for the troops to fall hack on in case of retreat. These, not being built under lire, can he carefully made on selected ground, and motor-drawn ploughshares are used to break earth for them. Barbed wire interlaced with branches cut from trees is placed in front of these shelters, and wooden beams piled with earth cover them to protect the troops below from shells bursting overhead.