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Essay WW1When I was nineteen, I left my family, regrettably, and was sent to

the trenches to fight for Britain in the Great War. Britain had fought in

many wars, however, this was one war they would never forget.

I could hardly sleep with excitement. Only three more days until Ifought for Britain. Britain hadnt had a war in years so every man

wanted a piece of the action. I heard stories saying that this battle was

going to become the greatest war in history.

The next few days were chaotic, people were desperate to fight for

their country. I gave my name to the General and he brought me to a

large field. The open air and the scent of the trees gently caressed my

senses. Subsequently, this was not a field with flowers and animals, it

was a training ground. We spent seven long, long hours practicing ouraccuracy and our reflexes, I though it would never end. We spent the

majority of the time on the ground, rolling, slipping and crawling

through dirt.

My group contained approximately thirty men, led by General

Granger, all around twenty years of age. The next day, we all went to

battle unaware how horrified we would be. We travelled to Dover to

catch a boat to the trenches in France. As we reached Northern France,

every soldier was abhorred. The trenches were as deep as ten feet andas low as three, forcing us to crouch down in the mud infested with

rats, insects and other vermin.

It rained relentlessly, drenching the mud and making it impossible to

sleep. The vermin were consuming and devouring decaying dead

bodies while transmitting diseases from one soldier to another. This

caused many soldiers to die slow and painful deaths.

I would never have guessed that a war would be so horrific and so

terrifying. In fact, there was very little fighting taking place. TheGermans wouldnt bomb or attack us all the time, use the element of

surprise. I would sleep a maximum of four to five hours a night due tobomb attacks. I spent most of my time thinking of my family and

constantly reminding myself that wars like these cannot last forever, I

was wrong.

I had been fighting in the trenches for over two years, and there was

still no sign of truce between the dominant Nations in this war. It was

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indescribable, the sandbags were so near to the ground, soldiers had to

crouch for hours, even days. Some soldiers slept slouched by the

sandbags giving them back pain. During bomb and gas attacks, soldiers

had left their boots behind, forcing them to walk bootless.

The thing that shocked and terrified me the most during the war,were the injuries and brutal deaths of some of the soldiers. Once, I saw

a man who was shot in his abdomen, his face was ice-white and his

eyes were like two coals. He was in so much pain, so much agony, hecould hardly move.

Suddenly, a gas attack occurred. Soldiers grabbed their gas masks,

stumbling and staggering. I emerged tentatively to check if a friendly

soldier helped the dying man in need. I cartwheeled to get my gas

mask but I was too late. I was frozen with fear as I watched the man

suffocate and bleed to death. I was stunned to see that the dead manwas discarded into a wagon pervaded with soldiers who were alive. I

will never forget the sharp, shrill agonising screams I heard nor the faceof death that was prevalent in the soldiers eyes.

Through all the bizarre warfare, I crouched down as low as I could

and closed my eyes. I imagined myself in a tranquil garden, surrounded

by majestic trees, vivid and assorted flowers scattered sparsely, the sky

was a sea of blue and a regal sun. I could hear birds singing like choirs

of angels and the open air cleansed my soul. I turned around and saw

my wife smiling at me, she looked like a goddess. Her long brunettehair reached her shoulders, where her dress was tied. The dress was sowhite, it would have put the clouds to shame, it was silk, flowing to a

stop just past her feet. She was smiling at me.

She began singing and the tranquil garden was filled with a voice so

powerful, so luxuriant, it felt like the world had stopped. Then her

voice slowed, transforming into something softer and the song grew

unbearably sweet. It was only then that I realised the mistake I had

made. I wanted to stay there forever but I realised my dream was

coming to an end. The garden went black and I reluctantly open myeyes.

Hell was revealed.