A funk-hole near Bullecourt

A funk-hole is an excavation dug by an individual soldier that is not connected with the defensive layout of a trench. In this print Dyson portrays two soldiers resting in their funk-hole as they prepare to turn in for the evening. Despite the cramped and otherwise inhospitable environment one of the soldiers reads a book by candlelight. A piece of cloth extends the roof of the funk-hole possibly protecting the soldiers from the weather or allowing them to maintain a lit candle at night such that it is not visible to enemy lookouts. The discomfort endured by these soldiers was not universal, officers stationed at the front slept in larger dug-outs while higher ranking officers and officers not stationed at the front were billeted some distance from the front line in more comfortable accommodation.