Historical environment Flashcards
Where did fighting on the Western Front take place?
I.The fighting mainly took place around the town of Ypres, the Ypres Salient. (Three battles took place around Ypres between 1914 and 1917.) At the Battle on Hill 60, in April 1915, mines were the main weapon used. The British used give mines to build tunnels, which allowed them to take the hill overlooking Ypres.
II.Fighting also took place around Arras and Cambrai. In Arras, a network of tunnels enabled an underground hospital to be built and Cambrai was the site of blood bank which was built at the end of the war.
Why was it called the Western Front of fighting?
It was called the Western Front because the fighting in WW1 took place in many places, or on many “fronts”. As well as the Western Front, fighting took place in the East and even in the Alps mountain range as well as in the Middle East.
What were the frontlines of the trenches?
I.The frontlines were the trenches from which attacks were launched. Men would leave their position, climbing up the fire step and step out into no mans land, from where they would try to cross and catch and enemy’s trench.
II.Men would spend time in the front line trench, but rotate to spending time in the support and the reserve trenches. The support trench was where men would retreat and rest and the reserve trench was where troops would be stationed for a counter attack.
What were the support trenches?
.The support trench was where men would retreat to and rest after being on the front line. The support trenches were less intense than the front line of fighting and soldiers would be allowed some rest, although still in very filthy conditions.
II.The support trenches were connected to the other trenches. A communication trench meant the support, reserve and frontline trenches were all linked.
How were mines used at Hill 60 near Ypres?
Mines were used as a way to build tunnels. The British knew that by exploding into the hillside, they would be able to surprise the Germans and overwhelm their position at the top of the hill.
Why were tunnels, quarries and caves developed at Arras?
I. One reason the networks of caves and quarries were developed was to coordinate the work of British, New Zealand and Canadian troops in a three pronged attack on German forces. The network of tunnels was a way of getting around the difficult terrain that was littered with craters and muddy ground.
II. A second reason the network of tunnels was created was to enable the building on an underground hospital. This meant that injured soldiers could be treated within a km of the frontline of the fighting.
How did the terrain cause problems for medical treatments?
I.The craters in the ground slowed down stretcher bearers.
II.The muddy ground made it impossible for horse-drawn ambulances.
III.The boggy conditions meant it took more stretcher bearers to carry just one patient.
How were there communication and transport issues?
I.Artillery shells that destroyed roads meant that it was impossible for stretcher bearers and horse drawn ambulances to travel speedily.
II.The British government refused to send motor ambulances at first, it took a public fundraising campaign.
III.In the muddiest conditions, it took six horses instead of two to pull ambulance wagons.
IV. As the war went on, the British developed the use of trains and canal boats to enable quicker evacuation to field hospitals.
What illnesses were there in the trenches and how did people try to prevent them?
I.One feature of illness on the western front was trench foot. This was a painful swelling of the foot and gangrene infection that was caused by standing in muddy water for long periods of time.
II.A second feature of illness on the western front was trench fever. This was a disease that had flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature and aching muscles, which affected an estimated 500,000 soldiers.
III. One feature of how soldiers tried to prevent trench foot was they would rub oil into their feet. Specifically, soldiers would try to rub whale oil in order to protect their feet from the muddy conditions.
IV. One feature of how trench fever was prevented was the development of better hygiene in the trenches. By 1918, delousing stations were set up where soldiers could have all of the lice that was on their body and equipment washed. There was a decline in the amount of trench fever cases after this.
What injuries were there in the trenches?
I. One common injury was shrapnel wounds. Shrapnel wounds were caused by explosions and involved hot pieces of metal getting lodged in the skin of soldiers. This often led to gangrene infections developing.
II.A second common injury was head wounds. Lots of soldiers received deadly wounds to the head early in the war as they were expected to wear flat caps made of cloth. After Brodie Helmets were introduced in 1915, head wounds fell by 80%.
What were the effects of gas attacks?
I. One effect of gas attacks was a sensation of drowning. Chlorine and Phosgene gas affected the lungs of soldiers and made it impossible for them to breathe.
II. A second effect of gas attacks was that skin would burn. Mustard Gas caused internal and external blisters on the skin and, if the eye was burnt by it, would lead to blindness.
What were the jobs of the RAMC and FANY?
I.RAMC = Medical officers.
II.FANY = Nurses. The British refused to accept female nurses at first and even, in the first years of the war, did not allow them to drive motor ambulances.
How did stretcher bearers find their job difficult?
I. The condition of the ground meant that it was very difficult for stretcher bearers to get to injured soldiers and then carry them to the aid posts. This slowed down the chain of evacuation for injured soldiers.
II. Stretcher bearers had to cross no-man’s land, so it was easy for them to be shot themselves.
What was the chain of evacuation for injured soldiers?
Memorise two parts of this.
I. Close to the front line there was the regimental aid post. This was manned by a Medical Officer who worked with stretcher bearers, who would bring injured soldiers to him for assessment. The most serious injuries were sent on to the next stage of evacuation.
II. The field ambulance dressing stations were mobile units, that would follow the lines of fighting but set up a medical centre about a mile back from the front line. These stations were staffed by medical officers and nurses and would be based in any building available, abandoned barns, bombed out houses etc. The most serious injuries were sent away and on to the next part of the chain of evacuation…
III. Casualty Clearing Stations was a feature of the chain of evacuation. These were larger buildings with better equipment and were staffed by doctors and nurses, it was here that life threatening injuries were supposed to be dealt with.
IV. Base Hospitals were far away near the coast. This is where specialist doctors were based and the most seriously injured soldiers were sent home from.
How did fighting on the western front help medical techniques?
I. One way the fighting helped was in the area of plastic/reconstructive surgery. Harold Gillies pioneered a way of regrowing damaged tissue by tying the injured part of the body to an unaffected part of the body with a skin chord known as a “pedicle”.
II. A second way the fighting helped was in the area of setting wounds. From December 1915, the Thomas Splint was used as a secure way of setting wounds and this reduced deaths from broken limbs to 20%.
