"In France...even more than on Gallipoli, we lived in the shadow of Death". -Sergeant Cecil Mathews
One of the most noticeable conditions at passchendaele was the constant, endless, torrential rain that fell during the time of the war. In the month of August 1917, over 127mm of rain fell on flanders field. This is double the average amount of rainfall for the month of August. In October, in just over a five day period (from the 4th to 9th) around 30mm of rain that fell. As we see on the right, Field Marshall Sir Douglas Haig expressed how the rain was their worst enemy. It pushed them back, and filled up trenches and holes making deep puddles of water where soldiers and horses would fall into, we see this in the pictures to the left. Sir Andrew Russell supports this also as he complained that “The mud is a worse enemy than the Germans”. For the Germans the rain was an ally to them. We see this as Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, the Field Marshall of the enemy side wrote a relieved note in his diary, sharing “Sudden change of weather. Most fortunate rain, our most effective ally”. This is because, like stated previously, the ground was covered in shell holes which quickly filled up with water making it difficult for soldiers to march forward, and also filled up trenches, meaning soldier were more likely to get sick and not fight as well as they could have.
“the bombardment took your breathe away. The noise was ferocious. The apprehension in everyone's eyes and horror in a few”
-Nigel Blundell “We know nothing, hear nothing, see nothing, but war”.
- Dear Lizzie Soldiers did not receive the nutrients and vitamins needed to be healthy and fight well. It was extremely unhygienic in Passchendaele, with the constant rain, and mud, carrying bacteria and diseases that the soldiers were susceptible to. They would not have regular showers, bathe, wash their clothes, wash their hair etc. Many soldiers would end up with trench foot or trench fever, flus, colds and other diseases.
|
“It was simply the mud which defeated us on Tuesday [9 October]. The men did splendidly to get through it as they did. But the Flanders Mud, as you know it, is not a new invention. It has a name in history - it has defeated other armies before this one...”.
-Field marshall Sir Douglas Haig Shell holes were not only filled with rain and mud, but also with blood from the constant barrage of four million shells that preceded the attacks and from the constant bombardment. This added to the stress and tension felt by the soldiers. From this we can see that the conditions at the battle of Passchendaele were not only physical but psychological also. Men had to deal with the mental impact of the war too, such as the fear, adrenaline, anxiety, and more. From Nigel Blundell’s quote on the right we see that the constant bombardment caused men to always be alert, cautious and even terrified.
Not only did psychological impacts come from the fear and tension they constantly felt, but also from not knowing what was happening. In the book 'Dear Lizzie', there are different points highlighted as Ira Robinson implies that leaders and the people in charge may not have been doing their jobs properly. This idea is also in Lenhart's letter who also shared how soldiers sometimes felt that their leaders did not care about how long the war lasted, the impact it had on soldiers, and the number of men that gave up their lives on flanders field for this battle. In the book, Ira Robinson also states how many of the soldiers there had no new information to send back home, and that in all honesty, they would be knowing less than those who were at home. Generals and leaders did not disclose information, and by the time newspapers and news came it was already late news. |