Group+4+Soldier

By: Kajol Chaurasia
 * The Shocking Lives of World War One Soldiers **

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 __ Ready to experience the life of French soldier Ben Cooper... __

July 8, 1914 ** Dear journal, I awoke this morning feeling something biting my leg. I reached down, and in the blur I saw a rat nibbling through my flesh. Screaming in horror, I threw it out of my sight. It wasn’t really a surprise, because rats seemed to be all over the trenches. The brown types were especially dangerous. We soldiers don’t deserve to endure these filthy trenches filled with swarms of flies, lice, frogs, mice, urine and excrement. I couldn’t believe that no one bathed, and the diseases that were spreading. The worst by far was the foul odor. With open latrines and dead bodies rotting, it was almost impossible to bear the smell. I even vomited last night because of the horrid smell, which actually added to the odor. The idea of putting sliced limes in the trenches to take the smell away was great—except for the fact that the dreadful stench was __still__ in the air. Living in these trenches is like hell on earth. 











Find out how real soldiers made trenches! 

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[|Take a break from all the suspense and play WW1 hangman!] 

** April 23, 1915 **

Those blasted Germans and their gas attack! I hadn’t known at all that there was chlorine gas in the air yesterday during the German attack. My companions and I began to see yellow-green clouds slowly drifting towards our trenches in Ypres. I felt my lungs flooding with poison. It felt like drowning—but on dry land. A tremendous headache and longing for thirst. I felt a knife edge of pain in the lungs and severe coughing up of greenish gas. I began to run for my life. I really thought I was going to die. The chlorine gas was eating me alive. Too many people all at one time. Everything was a blur to me then. I thought it was going to be the last of Ben Cooper... But alas! I finally managed to escape the rush and get away from the whole disaster. My heart was pounding and I was out of breath. Thank god I am still alive! Its 6:45 AM and I am beyond tired. I can still smell the small hint of pineapple and pepper from the gas attack yesterday.

I see a crowd around a funk hole a few feet away. I think its John’s funk hole—not sure though. Wait, I hear screaming…



**

Same day; 3:11 AM ** I can’t believe it. I can’t believe John died—right in front of my eyes. As I moved through the crowd, I heard the panic coughing of John. I saw him right beside be, struggling for air. I realized it was the affects of the chlorine gas attack from yesterday. The color of his skin turned from white to a greenish black and yellow. I saw his eyes turn into a glassy stare. The sight of him dying right there made my stomach turn. He was the first man I ever saw killed. I felt sick and terrified, but even more scared of showing it. I would never forget that day; the day I saw my best friend’s life drift away from his body. 

** September 21, 1916 ** Rain. Ankle-deep mud, cold wind, and driz zling rain. This type of weather makes me wonder why I even joined the army. Why I signed up to suffer from poison gas, to see the straight death of my friends, and worst of all…long for my wife and kids. Oh how I wish for home; the warmness and comfort of home. But instead, I have to hear about daily suicides of my companions. Hearing the suicides of someone just sickens me. The thought that they left the world, all because they couldn’t bear to handle the diffic ulties of trench warfare. The thought that they said good-bye to their friends, family, and earth—just by a little note left in their ‘funk hole’. I could never kill myself and abandon my wife, my kids, my country--- **this war....**

Test your skills in... WW1 JEOPARDY!!!



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Bibliography **__

"Armory." __Trenches on the Web-Armory: Troops.__ 17. Dec. 2009.  "Gas Masks." __BBC-Schools Onliine World war one- soldier.__ 18 Dec. 2009. 