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Monday 2 May 2016

Charlie's Dear Diary

This is my Dear diary from world war one.This is what I think diary's in world war one were like



Dear diary,
Today has been quite exciting but shocking actually. It was me and the lads first day training and seeing our trenches. Training was fun. I got to hold my rifle for the first time! The trenches were worse than I expected them to be. I know they're trenches but I thought we would have our own space. The officers laughed shamefully at me when I asked for more food. The food is absolutely horrible. Getting decent hot food from the field kitchens to the front line trenches could be impossible. All I really had today was canned meat called bully beef, If you have a go at eating it in the trenches you’d have to dodge the mouthful of flies.The meat was was making my mouth go warm with a hard chewy texture in my mouth.). Though this is my first day so I can't really complain. I would explain my day to day routine but I've forgot most of it. We basically have to wake up an hour before sun up and some of my mates today were taught how to do patrols.One of my friends is a signaller. Most old soldiers will know what this is. Bayonet drills, bombing practice, in short, all those exercises which were supposed to make an efficient soldier. He began to regret this. I can understand how he must've felt.  Then we had breakfast and did our chores. To be honest we haven't done much today anyway.At last, the battle has ended, with 5800 troops (a third) killed on the first day. Our total losses were 420000, the French had 200 000 casualties, while the Germans had 500000. I did not think that the battle was a success. It definitely wasn't worth the effort and the casualties but I've survived! However, I can't just keep thinking things are going to be ok. Word has gone around the trenches that there will be another battle in Picardy (France) in about 2 weeks time. It can't be as worse as the Somme. Can it? They should give us a break. It's hard dealing with war anyway and now they're putting us through that all again. Everyone keeps telling me I'm really lucky and all that rubbish but sometimes I wish I was dead.. With my mates then I know I wouldn't have died alone I can't believe I'm saying this but I wish I never joined the army. Those posters were nothing but lies. I wish I was back home to my family and not in this ghastly place. I can feel it will get much more worse. This is only the first day anyway.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Charlie, You've told us lots of detail about the events at war. I like how you've 'shown' us a little with the bully beef about how there must have been lots of flies hanging around.

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  2. Hi Charlie
    So after initially thinking that the training was fun, the reality soon 'struck home' that you were going to actually hurt other people. It was not a game but a horrible task. Your description of your senses when talking about..... 'The meat was was making my mouth go warm with a hard chewy texture in my mouth.' was very compelling and I felt quite sick reading this. Well done for helping me to feel what you were going through.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Charlie
    So after initially thinking that the training was fun, the reality soon 'struck home' that you were going to actually hurt other people. It was not a game but a horrible task. Your description of your senses when talking about..... 'The meat was was making my mouth go warm with a hard chewy texture in my mouth.' was very compelling and I felt quite sick reading this. Well done for helping me to feel what you were going through.

    ReplyDelete