Trench Foot, Trench Fever and Frostbite: Illness on the Western Front
Trench foot, trench fever and frostbite were illnesses, rather than battle wounds, that put huge numbers of British soldiers out of action on the Western Front, and all three were caused directly by the conditions of trench life. Trench foot resulted from feet being cold and wet for long periods, which cut off circulation and, if untreated, could progress to gangrene requiring amputation; it was especially common in the low-lying, waterlogged sections of the British sector around Ypres. Trench fever was spread by lice, which infested the unwashed uniforms of men living in crowded, unsanitary trenches, and caused recurring fever, headache and severe muscle pain that could keep a soldier out of action for weeks, though its exact cause was not identified until near the end of the war. Frostbite, from prolonged exposure to freezing winter conditions, damaged the tissue of the extremities in the same way as trench foot but through cold and dry conditions rather than cold and wet ones.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Keep the three conditions separate in your answers: trench foot (cold and wet feet), frostbite (cold and dry, from freezing temperatures) and trench fever (spread by lice), since examiners reward precise cause, not a vague 'illness caused by the trenches'.
- Learn the mechanism of trench foot step by step: prolonged immersion in cold water and mud restricted blood flow to the feet, causing numbness and swelling, and then blistering, and, if untreated, gangrene.
- Learn the three prevention measures the Army used against trench foot: applying whale oil to the feet before entering wet trenches, issuing dry socks and encouraging men to change them frequently, and rotating units out of the wettest sections of line.
- Learn the cause of trench fever precisely: body lice, which thrived in the unwashed, closely packed conditions of trench life and were extremely difficult to eliminate, since a man's uniform, bedding and dugout were all constantly reinfested.
- Link this topic back to terrain (EDX.WF2): trench foot was worst in the low-lying, waterlogged sections of the British sector such as the Ypres Salient, because the ground there kept trenches flooded even in summer.
- When a question asks you to compare these illnesses with battle wounds, make the point that illness, not enemy action, was responsible for a very large share of the men taken out of the front line at any one time.
Worked example
Describe two features of trench foot as experienced by soldiers on the Western Front.
- Choose two genuinely separate features, e.g. its cause, and its progression if left untreated.
- For feature 1, identify it: trench foot was caused by feet being kept cold and wet for long periods, which restricted blood flow.
- Add supporting detail: this was most common among men serving in low-lying, waterlogged trenches, such as those in the Ypres Salient, for days at a time without being able to dry their feet.
- For feature 2, identify it: if untreated, trench foot could progress to gangrene.
- Add supporting detail: in severe cases this meant the affected toes or foot had to be amputated, so the Army treated prevention, such as issuing dry socks and whale oil, as essential.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1What directly caused trench foot?Show answer
Answer: Feet being kept cold and wet for long periods, which cut off circulation and damaged the tissue.
Q2Name two measures the Army used to try to prevent trench foot.Show answer
Answer: Applying whale oil to the feet, and issuing (and encouraging frequent changes of) dry socks; units were also rotated out of the wettest trenches.
Q3What caused trench fever, and where did it come from?Show answer
Answer: Body lice, which infested the unwashed uniforms of men in crowded, unsanitary trench conditions.
Q4Give two symptoms of trench fever.Show answer
Answer: Recurring fever and severe headache or muscle pain (any two).
Q5How did frostbite differ from trench foot in its cause?Show answer
Answer: Frostbite came from prolonged exposure to freezing, dry cold rather than cold, wet conditions, though both damaged tissue in the extremities in similar ways.
Q6Why was the Ypres Salient particularly associated with trench foot?Show answer
Answer: Its low-lying, reclaimed Flanders farmland had a high water table, so trenches there flooded easily and stayed waterlogged even when other sections of the line were drier.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Describe two features of trench fever.
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How could you follow up Source A to find out more about how common trench foot was across the British sector? Source A: a diary entry by a British private, winter 1916: 'Three men in my platoon alone are off with trench foot this week. The medical officer says it is the same story all along this stretch of the line.'
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How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into the effects of trench foot on British soldiers? Source A: a diary entry by a British private, winter 1916: 'Three men in my platoon alone are off with trench foot this week. The medical officer says it is the same story all along this stretch of the line.' Source B: an entry in a British Army medical officer's casebook, 1917: 'Case admitted with severe trench foot in both feet, skin blackened, gangrene present in three toes of the left foot. Amputation of the affected toes carried out.'
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