6F Explanation Text - Trench Warfare

Year 6 have been looking at writing explanation texts. This week we wrote in the context of WW1 and focused on 'trench warfare'. See if you can learn a thing or two from Rosieanne's first couple of paragraphs.

What is trench warfare?

Trenches

A trench is a barrier from the enemy, to keep soldiers safe. Trenches, the temporary home of soldiers, were most commonly seen during World War One. Opposing sides would launch attacks across no-man’s-land (the space between the two front lines). Surprisingly, the first trench line was completed in November 1914 and by the end of that year it had stretched 475 miles, starting at the North seas. Soldiers dug into the ground, in times of war, to protect them from the horrid weather conditions, which could be appalling.

Construction and design

During WW1, soldiers would initially dig a 1 metre by 2 metre hole, to act as somewhere to hide. Then trench boards were placed on the ground to help with drainage. Eventually, a ‘fire step’ was cut into the walls to shoot from. At last, sandbags would be laid down to stop the trench from caving in on itself. Also barbed wire was rolled out to stop determined enemies from attacking. The front wall (the parapet) was about ten feet tall. The rear wall (the parados) was lined with sandbags as well. However, in extreme weather, some sand bags would fall over.