What does a duck board do in World War 1 trenches?

Answer 1

Duckboards were basically wooden planks, nailed to runners and placed on the bottom of trenches, to allow troops to walk over the mud, which was slippery and often deep. It also helped keep feet dry to prevent trenchfoot (tissue necrosis due to prolonged immersion).

Answer 2

There is a poem, I forget which, that mentions the Duckboard. It's not a piece of 'military' equipment, quite simply because ducks have smooth, webbed feet, when getting from a pond to the land, say, they slip, therefore the farmer puts slats of wood across a plank to provide a non slip surface for them to get out of the pond. Similarly in the mud of the trenches slatted planks were used to provide non slip mobility for the soldiers in the trenches.

Answer 3

During WWI, duck boards were used as flooring at the bottom of the trenches. Trenches often were flooded with water and mud, and these wood planks provided soldiers a way to walk in these trenches.

Answer 4

A duckboard is a ladderlike construction (looks a bit like the wooden pallets you get for transport now). These were placed in the bottom of trenches over a deeper drain or sump. The idea being to allow water to drain through and away. They also used them to make bridges and to lay over soft mud.