From the outbreak of war in May 1914, Blunden recalled his experience in the trenches of France. Structured with sandbag walls, the Old British Line in which the men were stationed was a flimsy comfort, as the trenches were often only one row deep with no additional protection against debris caused by the artillery shells. Communication between the front line and the Old British Line was provided in part by the covering trench, although Prior's account of his return from The Island, the front line, indicates that he had to pause every the two minutes to lie down in a ditch along the front line. the road to avoid the famous German machine guns. The Germans bombarded the covering trench with heavy fire and heavy shells on the farm and its inhabitants, including the children. Because the Germans were known to use gas, Blunden and his men underwent training to prepare for attacks. After completing this course, he was sent to the dugout near Cuinchy Keep, described as "dirty, bloody and boring", mainly due to the number of mines already exploded and the fact that it was not completely finished. However, when fighting in the trenches, "one only had to copy experience, and experience was only occasional protection." Marching on the dusty road to Thièvres, the battalion braved the hills and forest as well as the scorching heat of the region. the sun; therefore, many men broke out of rank, so to keep up, high-ranking officials carried two or three rifles. After reaching the Somme, heavy rain and German shells began to inundate the men. The British communications trench was reduced to ashes following a direct hit, although the station survived the attack, allowing a slow...... middle of paper ......later the The British still held out, but there was still mist and the bombing was more constant. With a 5.9 shell flying overhead, Blunden and his men began exploring the trench they were in and managed to find an intact listening post. Realizing from the continued explosions of shells that a full-scale attack would soon be launched against them, Blunden telephoned an SOS to the artillery; They were told that they could offer no help as their headquarters had recently been attacked with thirty dead and wounded. Final Chapters: Altered Attitudes: Evidence of, in What Way*CONCLUSION This picture, painted with the blood of soldiers, caused The ____ reaction and the end produced devastating changes within the countries that participated in the battles themselvesBibliographyBlunden , Edmund. The nuances of war. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.