Conditions in Gallipoli World War one

Gallipoli - Living and Fighting Conditions

The conditions in the trenches and on the beach in Gallipoli were appalling. The British forces had little respect for Australian soldiers and they were often given the short end of the stick.

Food and water was limited and there was not much variety. The ANZACs diet was made up of bully beef, hard biscuits with jam and tea. There was the occasional shipment of bread and other tinned goods but vegetables were scarce. Water was rationed and each man received 2-3 litres a day. This water was used for drinking, bathing, shaving and making tea.

Disease was very common because there was an extreme lack of hygiene. Dead bodies, empty food cans and human waste lay everywhere, in the trenches, on no-mans land and even down on the beach. In some places, the trench wall was supported by a severed arm or leg. The waste brought millions of pests such as flies, lice, rats, maggots and mosquitoes. These animals spread disease from soldier to soldier. In the summer, the flies became so bad that whenever someone opened their mouth, 30 or more flies would fly in.

Injuries were a huge cause of death and disease in the trenches of Gallipoli. Many times when a soldier was shot or wounded by a shell, even if he survived the initial blow, he would later die from the infection. the nurses and doctors did eveything they could to save the soldiers but there weren't many resources and what they had needed to be shared equally.

The conditions in Gallipoli were horrible and the war was not all it was made up to be.

Bibliography

http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/

http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-42_t-46_c-135/the-conditions/nsw/the-conditions/australia-and-world-war-i/gallipoli-and-the-anzacs

Class notes and sheets

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