Letters From World War One Trenches

Soldiers in WWI were told to write letters home, but they often didn't talk about how bad things were. They had to follow a rule from 1914 that said someone had to check their letters first.

Harold Chapin wrote a letter talking about how busy he was helping wounded soldiers. He said they had to carry injured men a long way through sticky mud, which was really hard work.

In the 1930s, Guy Chapman wrote about remembering his fellow soldiers. He remembered their faces and stories, and how some didn't make it back home. He also talked about how he had to check their letters, which sometimes felt wrong because he was reading their personal thoughts.

Arthur Savage remembered how scary and horrible it was to be in the war. He talked about soldiers getting really sick, being bothered by bugs, and seeing big rats. He also mentioned how muddy and dirty it was, and how sad it was to see friends die next to him.

Philip Gibbs, a journalist, wrote about how terrible it was to see soldiers suffering from shell-shock, which is when the loud explosions made them very scared and shaky. At first, some people didn't understand how serious it was and thought the soldiers were just scared, but it was a real problem that hurt them inside and out.