First World War trench diaries now available online

The National Archive has published the documents that contain the sport programmes and other ditch stories of the soldiers in the First World War online.

According to the documents, pillow fights, wheelbarrow races, blindfold driving, tug of war, boat race, high jump and wrestling on mules were among the activities arranged by officers to let British troops stay focused in the trenches during the First World War, the Guardian reported.

A pencil drawing of British and German trenches just a field apart with positions of dead horses, pigs, dogs, and a dead Frenchman are mentioned with complete detail in the diary.

The document also holds an account by Brigadier W R Ludlow of the 8th Battalion the Royal Warwickshire Regiment sharing the first day of the battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916.

Success and failure stories of battles like 46th (North Midland) Division breaking the Hindenburg Line, in September 1918 and Somme in 1916 are also mentioned in the documents.