ABSTRACT
This chapter explores a rather smelly zone of seldom-explored First World War history. The French soldiers are mostly terribly Filthy, Filthiest of all the French are when they go to do their necessities. While some go there, they won't sit on it, but stand on it and they get the whole place at once into a terrible mess. Apart from general concerns regarding hygiene and the prevention of diseases, sanitary regulations potentially had a direct military significance as well. In his report on the defence of Liège and the swift surrender of several of the twelve forts surrounding the town, Belgian general Leman not only blamed the big German shells, but also explicitly the latrines. Trench latrines usually consisted of pits dug to a depth of 4–6 feet and approached by a short trench to the rear of the line. Standard issue latrine buckets were fairly well made for the purpose: stable and deep.
