Rest and leave periods
Equally abysmal were the cantonnements, i.e. rest facilities for the French troops during the Battle of Verdun in 1916. Under French General Pétain’s “Noir” system, divisions were rotated every fifteen days. Soldiers were allowed a rest period following active service. But these buildings often housed up to 100 troops and some had no lighting or glass in the windows and contained only primitive washing and latrine facilities and wooden blocks for the soldiers to sleep on.
A leave system introduced in June 1915 meant that soldiers were entitled to seven days leave for every four months active service. Though in practice, leave was permitted varyingly, some units allowed leave every three months, some every six months, while others required even longer service. Up to fifteen days leave was granted at harvest time in the late summer and autumn while compassionate leave for family deaths, marriages, and births was also allowed. Many soldiers tried to extend leave periods with claims of travel difficulties or sickness, but claims, when found to be false, were punished severely.
