Today it marks the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Passchendaele also known as the Third Battle of Ypres. Here depicted, Irish Guards taking a rest between carrying duckboards, near Langemarck, 10 October 1917. During World War I, duckboards were used to line the bottom of trenches on the Western Front, as these were regularly flooded, and mud and water would lie in the trenches for months on end. The boards helped to keep the soldiers' feet dry and prevent the development of trench foot, caused by prolonged standing in waterlogged conditions. They also allowed for troops' easier movement through the trench systems. In the Ypres Salient, duckboards were laid at ground level to help soldiers advance to the front lines.

10/08/1917