Work while ‘at rest’
Even when supposedly at ‘rest’ soldiers could find themselves engaged in exhausting work. There was always a shortage of labour at the front, with fighting men having to provide working parties to make good the lack. Officers were exempt from tiring manual labour, but faced different claims upon their time out of the line – chiefly never-ending paperwork. In addition to dealing with general military bureaucracy, they were expected to master an ever-growing body of tactical and technical instructions, and to attend residential training courses.
Keeping clean, eating and smoking
However, time spent out of the line at least offered the opportunity for the frontline soldier to get clean. Communal baths would be set up and lice-infested clothing steam-cleaned. The chance to be clean was another essential prop to morale. Even more important to soldiers was the food that they ate. If supplies failed, or the quality was poor, the effects could be serious. Germany and Austria-Hungary – with food supplies hit by the Allied naval blockade