british sector of western front 1914-18 Flashcards
1
Q
when was the first battle of ypres?
A
1914
2
Q
what happened in october 1914?
A
germans attacked british positions in ypres
3
Q
how many british troops were lost in the first battle of ypres?
A
over 50,000
4
Q
what did britain manage to keep control of during the first battle of ypres?
A
english channel ports
5
Q
when was hill 60?
A
1915
6
Q
when did the germans capture hill 60?
A
december 1914
7
Q
what was an advantage of hill 60?
A
the height of the hill
8
Q
what did the british do at hill 60 to recapture it?
A
tunnelled under the hill and placed 5 mines
9
Q
when was the second battle of ypres?
A
1915
10
Q
what was significant about the second battle of ypres?
A
first time germans used chlorine gas
11
Q
when was the battle of the somme?
A
1916
12
Q
how many british soldiers died on the first day of the battle of the somme?
A
around 20,000
13
Q
what caused casualties during the battle of the somme?
A
creeping barrage
14
Q
why were tanks unsuccessful during the battle of the somme?
A
low speed and unreliability
15
Q
how many british soldiers died in total during the battle of the somme?
A
400,000
16
Q
when was the battle of arras?
A
1917
17
Q
what happened in april 1917 relating to the battle of arras?
A
24,000 men who had been hiding in tunnels attacked
18
Q
how many miles did the british gain during the battle of arras?
A
8 miles
19
Q
how many british and candadian causalities were there during the battle of arras?
A
nearly 160,000
20
Q
when was the third battle of ypres?
A
1917
21
Q
what was britains aim for the third battle of ypres?
A
to break out of ypres salient
22
Q
what was the ground like during the third battle of ypres?
A
it was waterlogged and men drowned in mud
23
Q
how many miles did the british gain during the third battle of ypres?
A
7 miles
24
Q
how many british causalities were there during the third battle of ypres?
A
245,000
25
when was the battle of cambrai?
1917
26
what was significant about the battle of cambrai?
first large scale use of tanks
27
how many tanks were used at the battle of cambrai?
nearly 500
28
what was the order of the chain of evacuation?
-regimental aid posts
-dressing stations
-casualty clearing stations
-base hospitals
29
what was the role of regimental aid posts (RAP)?
-give immediate first aid
-aimed to get as many men as possible back fighting
-couldn’t deal with serious injuries
30
where were regimental aid posts located?
near frontline / communication trenches
31
what did dressing stations (ADS + MDS) deal with?
more serious injuries
32
where were dressing stations located?
abandoned buildings, bunkers or tents
33
who staffed dressing stations?
field ambulance
34
what did casualty clearing stations (CCS) deal with?
critical injuries
35
where were casualty clearing stations located?
buildings like factors and schools (near railways)
36
what was the triage system used by the casualty clearing stations?
-walking wounded patched up + sent to fight
-needing hospital treatment were transferred to base hospitals
-no chance of survival were made comfortable
37
where were base hospitals located and why?
near coasts so men could be shipped to britain
38
how were patients organised in base hospitals?
different wards according to wounds
39
what happened in 1918 that threatened CCSs and what did this mean for base hospitals?
germans launched last-ditch offensive so surgery was carried out in base hospitals again
40
what does RAMC stand for?
royal army medical corps
41
what was the RAMC?
branch of army responsible for medical care
42
when was the RAMC founded?
1898
43
what does FANY stand for?
first aid nursing yeomanry
44
what was FANY founded?
1907
45
what was the FANY?
women’s organisation which sent volunteers to western front
46
who did FANY support and how?
supported medical service on front line by driving ambulances and giving emergency first aid
47
when did the first 6 FANYs arrive in france?
october 1914
48
when did the british army allow FANYs to drive ambulances?
1916
49
when did thompson’s cave underground hospital begin?
november 1916
50
where was the hospital in thompson’s cave located?
in tunnels
51
when was the underground hospital in thompson’s cave abandoned?
during the battle of arras in 1917
52
list six features of the underground hospital in thompson’s cave
-waiting room
-700 spaces for stretchers
-operating theatre
-rest stations for stretcher bearers
-mortuary
-electricity + piped water
53
what were horse-drawn ambulance wagons used for?
carry sick + wounded
54
what were the disadvantages of horse-drawn ambulance wagons?
they were shaking and made injuries worse
55
how were motorised ambulances introduced?
with help from public donations
56
what were the disadvantages of motorised ambulances?
ground could be too muddy
57
how were wounded men taken to base hospitals on the coast?
by train or canal
58
what did some trains have?
operating theatres
59
where were some men directly transferred to and why?
onto ships to be taken back to britain
60
when did britain declare war on germany?
august 4th 1914
61
who was sent to france to stop the germans advancing through belgium?
british expeditionary force (BEF)
62
why did soldiers begin to dig small trenches?
to shield themselves from machine gun fire
63
when stalemate developed what did both side do and why?
dug in to hold their ground as neither side could advance
64
when was a more complex trench system developed?
from 1915
65
what was made from the frontline trench?
attacks
66
where was the support trench located?
behind frontline trench
67
where was the reserve trench located?
behind the support trench
68
where was the reserve trench located?
behind the support trench
69
what did the communication trench do?
connect trenches
70
what pattern were trenches dug in?
zigzag
71
what were dugouts?
holes dug into sides of trenches where men could take cover
72
what was no man’s land?
space between two lines of trenches
73
why was barbed wired used in no man’s land?
to slow down enemy attacks
74
what caused gas gangrene?
open wounds infected by bacteria from soil
75
what were the symptoms of gas gangrene?
dead tissues (bacteria caused gas to build up in wound)
76
what were the solutions to gas gangrene?
amputation
77
what caused trench fever?
body lice
78
what were the symptoms of trench fever?
flu / headache / aching muscles
79
what were the solutions to trench fever?
delousing stations
80
what caused trench foot?
standing in cold water / mud
81
what were the symptoms of trench foot?
painful swelling of feet leading to gangrene
82
what were the solutions to trench foot?
rubbing whale oil on feet, keeping feet dry, changing socks + amputation
83
what caused gas attacks?
chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas
84
what were the symptoms of gas attacks?
burning skin, internal / external blisters and death by suffocation
85
what impact did gas attacks psychologically?
massive psychological impact (fear)
86
what were the solutions to gas attacks?
gas masks developed in 1915
87
what caused shrapnel injuries?
being hit by bullets / shrapnel
88
what were the symptoms of shrapnel injuries?
pieces of metal penetrate body taking uniform, soil and dirt into body
89
what were the solutions to shrapnel injuries?
steel brodie helmets worn to protect head
90
what caused shellshock?
psychological damage
91
what were the symptoms of shellshock?
-tiredness
-nightmares
-headaches
-loss of speech
-shaking
-metal breakdowns
92
what was the solution to shellshock?
treatment back in britain
93
what was shellshock misunderstood as?
cowardice
94
who used the first antiseptic in 1865?
joseph lister
95
what did joseph lister’s antiseptic lead to?
development of aseptic surgery (removing germs from operating area)
96
by when did most operations use aseptic methods?
late 1800s
97
list four examples of aseptic methods used in operations
-surgeons washed hands, face and arms
-rubber gloves and gown worn
-surgical instruments steam sterilised
-air was sterilised by pumping
98
what was still a major problem during surgery in the late 1800s?
blood loss
99
why did doctors attempt more complex surgeries?
anaesthetics and antiseptics
100
who discover the first three blood groups and what were they?
karl landsteiner discovered type A / B / O
101
when did karl landsteiner discover the first three blood groups?
1901
102
why did karl landsteiner’s discovery make blood transfusions more successful?
stopped donor’s blood being rejected by recipient’s body
103
what did james blundell carry out?
first human blood transfusion
104
when did james blundell carry out the first blood transfusion?
1818
105
what did blood transfusions involve due to blood not being able to be stored?
donor directly connected to recipient
106
how many transfusion did blundell carry out and how many were successful?
10 transfusions but only 5 successful
107
what did scientists know about the chemicals that could stop blood clotting when it leaves the body?
has side effects like convulsions
108
who accidentally discovered x-rays and when?
wilhelm roentgen in 1895
109
when did radiology departments open in british hospitals?
early as 1896
110
what was an advantage of x-rays?
could look inside patient without cutting open
111
list four problems with x-rays in the early 20th century
-didn’t fully understand risk of radiation (patients could suffer burns / hair loss)
-roentgen developed table-top machine but glass tube was fragile
-x-ray of a hand took 90 minutes
-larger x-ray machines were difficult to move
112
what percentage of wounds were to the head, face and neck?
about 20%
113
why were brain injuries fatal at the start of the war?
unconscious / confused patients were difficult to move through chain and doctors had little experience of neurosurgery
114
what did harvey cushing develop?
new brain surgery techniques by observing and experimenting
115
what did cushing use to remove metal fragments?
magnet
116
why did cushing use local anaesthetic rather than general?
general swelled the brain
117
what was the large splint designed to do?
keep limbs and joints still
118
why did many men die from shrapnel wounds to the leg?
leg wasn’t kept rigid during transport leading to blood loss and infection
119
who developed the splint in the 1800s?
hugh thomas
120
how did the survival rate for leg injuries improve due to the thomas splint?
20% to 82%
121
what were mobile x-ray units used for from the start of the war?
locate bullets and shrapnel
122
what were the problems with mobile x-ray units?
-couldn’t identify all objects (e.g. clothing)
-took several minutes
-only used for an hour before they overheated
123
what x-rays did base hospitals have?
static x-rays
124
how many mobile x-ray units did the british have?
6
125
what did richard lewisohn find in 1915?
adding sodium nitrate to blood stopped clotting
126
what did richard weil discover in 1915?
blood with sodium nitrate could be stored for up to 2 days if refrigerated
127
what did francis rous and james turner find in 1916?
adding citrate glucose solution allowed blood to be stored for up to 4 weeks
128
what did an american doctor build during the battle of cambrai in 1917?
carrying case for bottles of donated blood
129
how many soldiers were treated and survived due to the carrying case for bottles of donated blood?
treated 20 soldiers and 11 survived
130
who developed methods of restoring and rebuilding facial features?
harold gilles
131
where did intricate operations and recovery had to be carried out?
in britain
132
which hospital was the main hospital for plastic surgery?
queen’s hospital in kent
133
when did harold gilles help design queen’s hospital in kent?
1917
134
by the end of 1917 how many operations did the queen’s hospital in kent carry out?
nearly 12,000
135
what made aseptic surgery impossible?
contaminated conditions
136
what caused infections in wounds?
shrapnel, dirt and uniform
137
what made the system often struggle to cope?
sheer number of causalities
138
who developed blood transfusions on the western front?
lawrence bruce robertson
139
what did lawrence bruce robertson use to transfer blood from donor to patient?
syringe and tube
140
where were blood transfusions carried out?
base hospitals
141
in what year did blood transfusions start to be carried out in the CCS
1917
142
who designed the portable blood transfusion kit?
geoffrey keynes (RAMC)
143
what did debridement include as a method of dealing with infection?
removal of dead / infected tissue
144
what was the carrel-dakin method to deal with infection?
using sterilised salt solution in wound through a tube
145
why couldn’t antiseptics like carbonic acids be used to deal with infections?
they didn’t work on gas gangrene
146
how did amputation work to deal with infection?
removing infected limbs
147
how many men lost limbs by 1918?
240,000
