Letters From World War One Trenches

During WWI, soldiers sent letters back home to Britain. Many chose to hide the brutal reality of trench warfare from their loved ones. The Defence of the Realm Act in 1914 meant that all letters were checked and censored by officers.

Harold Chapin wrote about being extremely busy after a British and French attack. He had been working nonstop, helping treat wounded soldiers. He talked about the exhaustion of carrying injured men across muddy fields in the middle of the night, emphasizing how much they all hated the mud.

In the 1930s, Guy Chapman shared his memories from the war. Looking at an old list of his platoon, he remembered the faces and stories of those who had died or disappeared. He reflected on how he used to censor their letters, missing the personal and heartfelt messages they contained.

Arthur Savage recalled the terror of war, including the sight of men suffering from trench foot, knowing they would lose a leg. He remembered the lice, the rats that weren't afraid of humans, the endless mud, and seeing dead bodies everywhere, including friends who were alive one moment and gone the next.

Philip Gibbs, a journalist, wrote about the impact of shell-shock, a condition many generals initially dismissed as cowardice. He described seeing strong men reduced to trembling, speechless, and uncontrollable states, affected both physically and emotionally by the horrors they experienced.