Winter saw its own share of misery. The many pools and flooded trenches that appeared after the onset of the autumn and winter rains, and in which soldiers sometimes spent days submerged up to their waist, became ice cold because of the freezing temperatures. The water got everywhere, creeping through boots, textile and planks. Longterm exposure brought on a condition known as ‘trench foot’. Soldiers’ feet swelled up, got infected and eventually began to rot, as necrosis set in. Pneumonia and frostbite were also very common. In the winter of 1916-1917 thousands of soldiers came down with symptoms of frostbite.