Part 3/12:
In the trenches, soldiers faced constant hardship. The rainy December weather turned the trenches into uninhabitable mud pits, leading to the widespread disease known as trench foot. Over a thousand British soldiers suffered this affliction, often resulting in amputations. British commanders, such as Major General John French and General Smith-Dorien, vividly described the hellish landscape—drenched in mud and water, with barricades sinking into the earth, rendering military defenses and offensive tactics nearly impossible.