what was it like during world war 1?

Question

why would people enlist? could they enlist at anytime? what happened to the people who werent at war? how did the people get into the trenches without getting shot? and how long would they have to stay in the trenches? how did they train? when did they train? and how long did training last?

also, what would happen after they had enlisted?

Answer 1

You ask too many questions requiring a lot of detail so the best thing you can do is go to a library and ask them to find you suitable books on the first world war. There is a limit to what you can find out on the net.

Answer 2

I agree with Janniel, Too many questions for this site.

Why enlist. Same as today. National pride. Desire to right a perceived wrong. Desire to escape from boring life. Longing for adventure. Take your pick.

What happened to the people not at war? Do you mean here? Or in the war zone? People here lived their lives just as we do today. People in the war zone were at risk but not usually on purpose. There is always collateral damage, meaning some civilians getting killed in the course of a military action.

Training? Same as today. Although many sites have been closed. And some training was conducted overseas (just as in WWII and today.)

I suppose they got to the trenches before they battle started. And they stayed until the location became undefendable or they unit advanced or retreated.

Answer 3

Answers from a UK point of view. People enlisted at first because there was immense pressure on men to do so. Women went round giving white feathers to men of military age who appeared not to be soldiers. Whole communities were encouraged to join up together by the creation of 'Pal's Battalions' Later, of course, conscription was introduced. Women who weren't at war went to do jobs that men who were fighting had been doing and were also involved in munitions manufacture. Upper class women tended to do things like nursing and collecting 'comforts' - socks, blankets, etc. for the troops and parcelling them up for transmission to the front. There was bombing in London and other cities which killed quite a lot of people (something we tend to forget). The trenches were very complex and there were ones leading back from the front which were used for access to and ingress from the front without to much danger of being seen. They stayed in the trenches for a fairly limited time - think about 6 weeks at a time before being 'rotated' behind the lines - but you will need to check the exact period. They trained in the UK at traditional camps like Aldershot and Catterick and basic training lasted the usual 6 weeks. They trained before going to the front.

After they enlisted they were sent to the front eventually, or where ever their regiment was posted. They then got shot.