The Fighting and Living Conditions for British Soldiers on the Western Front in World War One The French and British had to push the Germans away from Paris, and there was a constant battle to gain ground. Neither side could advance so; they dug trenches to offer them protection whilst fighting. This was the Western Front. The German trenches were built better than the British’s. The Germans trenches had a well developed firing step, duckboards, and the use of concrete construction. Meanwhile, the British trenches weren’t constructed as thoroughly, they were built to maintain the position of readiness, and were more exposed to the elements, and this was why the Allies soldiers suffered from more illnesses than the Germans. The soldiers on the Front line needed ammunition, food, barbed wire, shells, timber, and sandbags, which were supplied to deposits behind the trenches by train. Getting the supplies to the trenches was difficult, but they eventually found that railway with Lorries with special wheels worked best. The first complaint was ‘trench foot’. This was when the feet turn red or blue, go numb, severe chilblains and get gangrene. It’s caused by exposing the feet to cold water for too long. Amputation of the toes or foot was sometimes necessary. The cause of this disease was stopped by daily foot inspections, dry socks, and rubbing whale oil into their feet to act as waterproofing. Another common problem was lice. As the men had to live so close together, they had limited washing facilities, and they wore the same clothes for days on end, it wasn’t surprising that lice spread quickly. To help stop the epidemic, bath houses were set up behind the front line, this was where the soldiers coming out of the trenches could have a hot bath and a change of clothes. The lice caused itching and discomfort, but they also caused a more serious problem, ‘trench fever’. Trench Fever was much like flu and typhoid. Its main symptom was lice as it was directly caused by getting bitten by a louse with a disease