There has always been a horrid smell at our observation post in the trenches, which creosote has failed to remove. I found today that it is decomposed remains in a sandbag against which we leaned to use the periscope. I believe the unfortunate corpse may have been there six months — the rats don't usually leave them alone, so it was probably a dirty German. Having disturbed it it stinks more than ever — full of maggots. The offending sandbag has been drowned in creosote and thrown far away — but they evidently couldn't get what was left of Fritz into one sandbag, and I fear to eradicate the evil would mean a fall in the parapet, so am in rather a dilemma.
~Letter, August 2, 1916, by F.H.T. Tatham, IWM