Walking through the Somme and seeing the memorials and cemeteries, I wondered about the soldiers. From the displays I read the British tried to train or motor their soldiers as close to the front lines as possible. Probably close to an area that served as a rest area for the soldiers being rotated from the front lines and the support lines. The last few miles they walked to the front lines when their unit’s time had arrived.

They walked though, a lot! Not in waterproof, lightweight boots. Not in boots with Goretex or Vibram soles. They walked in heavy, clunky, non-waterproof boots

I carry probably 25+/- pounds. Being 5’7” on a good day, I’m taller than the average British soldier. Regardless, military officials have determined that their packs weighed anywhere from 50 to 66 pounds. They carried everything, from spare clothes, hygiene kits, ammunition, shovel, to gas mask. They didn’t carry the electronic gear nor the camera gear that I carry. Of course, their pack was not an Osprey with light-weight, semi-rain resistant material, internal frame, waist belt, and breathable back webbing. Nothing came from our local REI, no lightweight poncho, no quick drying clothing, no 2-liter water bladder, no Garmin Inreach Mini2 satellite locator! How did they manage without REI?

I can’t imagine the hygiene. The front line trench was a trash dump. As a guy, I’ve become better acquainted with several tall trees in Picardy. The trenches had latrines built into the trenches. Yikes. The real problem was trench foot. This losing of skin and even parts of your foot because of constant exposure to wet conditions was serious. Shaving, forget it!

The food? I have my extra protein bars and my apple from breakfast. And, since this is my rest day, I stocked up on six croissants and a raisin roll for today and tomorrow. I had comfort food after this past tough week, my first hamburger since I’ve left. Surely they had some snack food and some comfort food? They were lucky to get anything hot the 2-4 days they were in the front line trenches. Those trenches averaged only 50-300 yards from the enemy’s front line trenches. How often did they get hot food there?

They were somewhat protected. Before sending over thousands, millions of soldiers, we sent them barbed wire from our western cattle farms. It sometimes worked. One big problem though. Where you cut your own barbed wire was a real giveaway to where the soldiers would leave the trenches in order to attack. Every enemy machine gun crew learned that real quickly.

Monotony and terror. After the third or fourth hour, I find walking can be monotonous. I’ve been scared three times by pheasants flying from the ground or shrubs only feet from me; I’ve felt the terror of an unchained farm yard German shepherd racing furiously at me, barking it’s head off (to be stopped by it’s owner ten feet from me, thank you Jeessuuss)!! My monotony and terror though is nothing compared to the life of those soldiers.