Trench rats were rodents that were found around the frontline trenches of World War I. Due to massive amounts of debris, corpses, and a putrid environment, rats at the trenches bred at a rapid pace. The rats likely numbered in the millions. [ 1 ]

Sep 12, 2023 · However, trench warfare has historically been most heavily associated with World War I and experienced the most rapid development during this period. Trenches began to show up late in 1914 after the original onslaught of the war led to …

Oversized rats, bloated by the food and waste of stationary armies, helped spread disease and were a constant irritant. In 1918, doctors also identified lice as the cause of trench fever, which plagued the troops with headaches, fevers, and muscle pain.

Nov 11, 2011 · Trench conditions were ideal for rats. There was plenty of food, water and shelter. With no proper disposal system the rats would feast off food scraps. The rats grew bigger and bolder and would even steal food from a soldier’s hand. …

Many men killed in the trenches were buried almost where they fell. If a trench subsided, or new trenches or dugouts were needed, large numbers of decomposing bodies would be found just below the surface. These corpses, as well as the food scraps that littered the …

The soldiers had to face many problems in the trenches, and one of them was omnipresent rats. These rats were giant and cats were afraid of them. These rats stole food and were attracted by the human waste of war and bodies of buried soldiers that repapered after rain or heavy shelling.

Feb 2, 2021 · Image 1: Pet dog of the Middlesex Regiment with its catch of rats in the trenches on the Western Front during the First World War. Rats didn’t just grow in terms of population. The sizes that rats could attain while feeding on the leftovers of armies could be astounding.

The troops shared the trenches with huge numbers of rats, attracted by dead bodies and food waste. James Harvey was one of many plagued by them. Rats were common, very common, you didn’t dare leave a bit of food about or else there’d be swarms of rats round you.

Aug 18, 2016 · The large number of decomposing bodies in and around the trenches meant they were overrun with rats, who grew fat on their diet of food scraps and human flesh. Trench warfare has since become the enduring image of World War One.

Mar 23, 2025 · The simple, yet horrifying, answer is that the trenches of World War I provided the perfect breeding ground for rats. A confluence of factors – massive amounts of debris, countless unburied corpses, and a generally putrid environment – made the trenches an irresistible haven for these rodents.