The Trenches Trenches were never straight but were dug in a square-toothed pattern that broke the line into bays connected  by traverses. This meant that a a soldier could never see more than 10 metres or so along the trench. Much of the land where the trenches were dug was either clay or sand. The water could not pass through the clay and because the sand was on top, the trenches became waterlogged when it rained.