Imagine, it’s the winter of 1916. War has been raging in Europe for over two years with no end in sight. The line along the Western Front had barely altered despite the best efforts of the British Expeditionary Force and the French Army to break through the resolute German positions. Numerous offensives, millions of artillery shells and bullets, hundreds of thousands of men dead and to no avail. But this was a war in which weapons technology and strategy were rapidly evolving, and at any point a breakthrough seemed possible. Reconnaissance and fighter planes were heard in the skies above, artillery now accurately bolstered infantry advances, and for us, the British, tanks were being introduced to the battlefield. Only time would tell if 1916 would be the turning point British high command hoped for. In this episode, Luke Tomes was heading out of the dugout and right into the heart of the action. Stationed at the front line in Belgium, he’ll find out what life was like for the average British Tommy in the trenches, how they prepared for battle and how they dealt with the consequences of it… The question is, could you survive the trenches as a British infantry soldier on the Western Front? Filmed at: La Main De Massiges, Hooge Crater Museum Archive Images: Rob Schäfer @GerMilHistory Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsely, Mary Beard and more. Watch, listen and read history wherever you are, whenever you want it. Available on all devices: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, and iOs & Android. We're offering a special discount to History Hit for our subscribers, get 50% off your first 3 months with code YOUTUBE: https://www.historyhit.com/subscription/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=YouTube2024 #historyhit #worldwarone #trenches 00:00 Introduction 02:20 1914 - 1916 05:09 Recruitment and Basic Training 08:07 Pals Battalions 09:00 Military Equipment 12:35 Lee Enfield Bolt-Action Rifle 15:19 Vickers Machine Gun 20:09 British Soldiers Rations 23:23 "Big Push" Summer Offensive 1916 25:17 Fixing Bayonets 28:00 Battle of the Somme 30:58 Casualties, Medicine and Treatment 40:59 Facial Plastic Surgery 42:32 British vs German Trenches 43:29 Trench Diseases 45:51 Tanks 50:00 Next Episode...