Letters From World War One Trenches

Letters from WWI Soldiers

Soldiers wrote letters to their families back home. They often didn't talk about how scary and awful it was in the trenches because they didn't want to worry their families. There was a rule that officers had to check the letters first.

Harold Chapin, a soldier, wrote about being very busy helping wounded soldiers. He talked about how hard it was to carry injured friends because of the thick mud.

In the 1930s, Guy Chapman remembered his friends from the war. He remembered their faces and the things they did. He felt sad about those who didn't come back.

Arthur Savage remembered being very scared and seeing bad things like soldiers getting sick from standing in cold, wet mud. He also talked about rats stealing their food and seeing soldiers who had passed away right next to him.

Philip Gibbs wrote about soldiers who were very shocked from the loud noises and scary things they saw. At first, some people didn't understand how badly the soldiers were affected, but they were really hurt both outside and inside.