had were the abstainers and the worst men I had were the drinkers. Alcohol weakens the tissues of the body, it lowers its vitality and makes it an easy victim to disease, and worse still, it rapidly obscures the mind. For a war of the kind that is being waged in Europe a man needs to have his head very clear, and this he cannot do if he is the victim of the alcohol habit.

Many total abstainers from alcohol are tempted to take "gassy" drinks, fizzes and so forth. These tend to shorten the wind and should therefore be avoided.

If plain water has to be drunk, care should be taken to see that it is reasonably pure, and all vessels such as water bottles should be thoroughly rinsed each time before using.

FIGURE 4:
Trench system showing fire, support and reserve trenches; redoubts; communicating trenches; saps; listening posts, etc.

When these simple rules of eating and drinking are followed many of the dangers incidental to army life will be avoided, and physical fitness established.

A kindred subject is that of Smoking. This habit has become so universal in the British army that it is almost true to say that every one smokes. From my own experience I have seen very few ill effects from it except in cases of obvious overindulgence. But undoubtedly it is easy to overdo the cigarette business, and on this point I would utter a word of warning. Pipes are to be preferred, though I admit it is difficult to get men to smoke anything else than cigarettes in the trenches. In the monotony and strain of trench life, and from the need to do something to keep the stench of decaying bodies from the nostrils, men do smoke to excess. There is some excuse there, but during training at home every man must endeavour to be reasonable in his indulgence.

Clothing. I have found that men are very apt to load themselves up with all sorts of useless items of apparel. In their endeavour to keep warm they have often badly overdone it with the result that they have found themselves perspiring and exhausted in the midst of an important piece of physical labour. Of course the soldier will need to see to it that his underclothes are sufficiently warm to keep out the extreme cold, but it is better to add something to the clothing from time to time—such as a Cardigan waistcoat—than to be equipped permanently with the heaviest kind of underclothes. Above all, avoid those garments that are being offered extensively to unsuspecting men, and which, while they will undoubtedly keep you warm, will also prevent the proper perspiration of the body. The body must be allowed to perspire and the air must be allowed to carry off the perspiration. Woollens are the best for this purpose, and though the initial cost of them is rather great, they are worth it in the long run.

Boots. In the paragraph on feet I couldn't help mentioning the matter of boots, but it is so important that, at the risk of too great repetition, I want to mention it again. You must have boots that are right, otherwise you will soon be lamed and thus be out of action. And every man out of action "counts two on a division." We found it advisable in France to get boots that were large enough to accommodate the feet and two pairs of socks—one thin and one thick pair. Into the boots we poured a small quantity of oil, or between the socks we put small pieces of soap to keep the feet in good condition. You will find that the feet must be oiled if they are to stand the work of a campaign.

FIGURE 5:
Showing method of cutting trench; parapet and parados; drainage.

FIGURE 6:
Showing riveting; flooring made of boards and chicken wire; drainage.

But sometimes injuries are caused to the feet by other parts of the clothing of a soldier. Men frequently laced their puttees or leggins too tight and found that they suffered pains in the feet—the circulation was being stopped. This rendered them very liable to frostbite, than which there is nothing more painful. If there are signs of freezing, remove the boots as soon as possible and restore the circulation. But if the feet are actually frozen the soldier is in for a long and tedious illness, and will be lucky if he does not need to have his feet amputated. I am told that, during the first campaign in the Carpathians, the Central Powers lost 25,000 men per day with frozen feet.

Before leaving this subject to deal with diseases and their avoidance, I would like to say a word or two on the congenial subject of Rest. A soldier should get as much of it as he can, consistent, of course, with doing his duty. Never stand when you could as well be lying down. Throw yourself on the ground whenever you can, to rest, and let the whole body relax. When you are given a rest on the roadside, stretch out on your back and breathe as deeply as you can. Give your mind and body alike a vacation and you will feel the benefit of it at the end of the day. Don't spend your hours of beauty sleep in talking—get that done during the day. Your body will call for rest after the tiring duties of the day and you should give it all the rest you can.

FIGURE 7:
Trench with simple dugout under parapet.

FIGURE 8:
Finished dugout, 6' × 4' × 4' with deep entrance and shrapnel-proofing.

CHAPTER III
DISEASE

If the rules of health set forth in the foregoing chapter are carefully observed, the soldier will be doing the best he can to keep his body fit. He will be building up a reserve of strength that will stand him in good stead should the germs of disease find entrance into his body. But there are times when, in spite of all our precautions, these little microbes get the upper hand, and a long struggle against them begins. The disease that has been responsible for the death of armies of soldiers is Enteric or Typhoid fever. During the campaign in South Africa the British lost more men through the ravages of this disease than through bullets and shells. But during the present war there have been comparatively few cases of enteric, and the number that have proved fatal is very small. For this result we have to thank the medical profession that has given so much study and care to the perfection of a method of combating this disease. The secret has been found to lie in the inoculation of the soldier with small doses of the disease itself till he becomes comparatively immune to it. Inoculation was not made compulsory in the first armies that were raised in England after war broke out, but it was made compulsory for men who desired to become members of the British Expeditionary Force in France. Most men gladly accepted this medical boon and subjected themselves to this simple and painless operation. But there were others who objected, sometimes through fear of the pain, and sometimes through what they termed "conscientious objections." Anti-Inoculation Societies got busy and spread their wretched literature throughout the camps and made men