approach trench

However, whenever a siege developed, the momentary need popped up again and the scramble was on to provide something to throw from the battlements at enemy sappers when an approach trench was within muscle range of the larger than average soldiers recruited as Grenadiers.

Combined with sniping, random artillery fire, long-range "strafing" of roads and approach trenches by machineguns, losses of this nature suffered in the absence of major engagements were referred to officially in the British Army as "wastage." Lest you think it didn't have a cumulative effect on the opposing armies, the official figures for "wastage" in the British Army from 1916 until the end of the war ran in excess of 10,000 casualties per month!