Medicine on the British Sector of the Western Front, 1914-1918 Flashcards
What happened at the Battle of Ypres?
Several battles took place surrounding the town of Ypres in Belgium. These battles lasted for months. Fighting took place here because:
-It was on route to the channel ports of Calais and Dunkirk. The British needed to defend this route and ensure that the troops could still receive supplies (eg equipment and food) and reinforcements of men.
-It was a vulnerable area of British occupation. The Germans were on the higher ground so they were able to see the British defences and movement of troops.
The terrain at Ypres included heavy soil, which was easily
waterlogged and flooded. This presented problems for stretcher bearers when they needed to remove the wounded from the battlefields. It was difficult to move on foot through wet and muddy ground.
Poisonous gas was first used by the Germans during the Second Battle of Ypres, in 1915. This new feature of warfare presented the medical services with new injuries and challenges.
What happened at the Battle of the Somme?
More men died on the first day than in any other battle before or since. The British
casualty figure was incredibly high. Britain suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, 20,000 of which died on the first day of the battle. The battle lasted from July to November 1916 and there were nearly 400,000 British casualties in total.
The high number of casualties led to the medical services needing to work quickly and under pressure. Small numbers of tanks were used for the first time during this battle, but they were not very successful. However, the use of tanks created uneven ground, which made it difficult for the wounded to be transported for treatment after the battle.
What happened at the Battle of Arras?
The Battle of Arras took place in 1917. Before this battle, soldiers from Britain and New Zealand dug a network of tunnels in the chalky ground. They added rooms and fitted them with running water and electricity. These tunnels were used as accommodation for the soldiers. An underground hospital was added with operating theatres. The tunnels were also used to shelter the soldiers during the fighting.
What happened at the battle of Cambrai?
The Battle of Cambrai took place in late 1917. Tanks were used during the attack after being used on a smaller scale during the Battle of the Somme. The British forces used over 450 tanks. Initially, the attack on the Germans was effective. However, the tanks did not have enough infantry support and could not defend the area. The consequence was that the British lost almost all of the ground that they had taken.
What were the problems in treating the wounded on the Western Front?
-Constant dropping of bombs left craters and holes that made the movement and transportation of injured soldiers difficult.
-Bacteria in the soil led to many infected wounds.
-Stretcher bearers needed to work day and night, but they were not always able to see their route clearly and were sometimes trying to move during fighting.
-Ambulances, which were motorised or horse drawn, found it difficult to move in the mud. This led to soldiers being left injured for days before their rescue.
-High casualty rates during battles slowed down medical treatment.
What was the trench system?
Front line trench - These trenches were closest to the enemy. Soldiers would fire across No Man’s Land from the front line trenches.
Communication trench - These trenches connected the other lines of trenches. Soldiers would use them to move between the other trenches.
Support trench - These were dug behind the front line trenches. Soldiers would retreat to them during an attack.
Reserve trench - These were dug behind the support trenches. Soldiers would use these to prepare for a
counter-attack
.
No Man’s Land - This was the stretch of land between the Allied and German trenches.
Dugout - These were dug into the sides of trenches. Men would use these when they needed protection and rest.
What was trench fever?
Trench fever was spread by lice or ‘greybacks’. Lice lived in the seams of clothing and in the soldiers’ blankets. The symptoms of trench fever included severe headaches, shivering and pain in the joints. The following measures were used to prevent trench fever:
-clothing and bedding were disinfected
-bathhouses were built
-louse-repellent gel was given to some soldiers to put on their clothes and bodies
-soldiers picked lice out of their clothing by hand or ran a lit match down their seams
Unfortunately, these methods were not entirely successful. This was because overcrowding remained in addition to damp and flooded trenches. Trench fever continued to be a problem until the end of the war. Soldiers who suffered with this illness were not fit to fight.
What was trench foot?
The waterlogged trenches led to soldiers suffering from a condition called trench foot. The symptoms of trench foot were that their feet became swollen, blistered, and turned blue. This was worsened if soldiers’ boots were tight and they were unable to change wet socks. Trench foot could lead to gangrene and feet needing to be
amputated.
By 1915, large numbers of soldiers needed treatment for trench foot and so were unable to fight. The following measures were used to prevent trench foot:
-Soldiers were ordered to change their socks twice a day but this was not always possible.
-Soldiers were encouraged to rub whale oil into their feet as it would keep their feet cool, and it remained a liquid in freezing temperatures.
-Mechanical pumps were sent to the front to reduce the flooding.
These methods did reduce the number of cases. However, the terrain continued to be waterlogged, which meant that soldiers spent days walking and standing in water in the trenches.
What was shell-shock?
Until shell shock was
diagnosed, it was recorded as ‘Not yet diagnosed. Nervous.’ Shell shock was a psychological reaction to the trauma of war. Because it was little understood, soldiers were often accused of cowardice and being too scared to fight.
The number of soldiers who suffered from shell shock increased as the war progressed. This led to the soldiers receiving treatment close to the front line so that they could return to the fighting more quickly. Soldiers suffering with shell shock were given rest and food. Those who suffered following an explosion were treated in specialist centres. Altogether, there were 80,000 recorded cases of shell shock within the British army.
As shell shock was not properly understood until long after the war, there were cases where soldiers were disgraced and court martialled for refusing to fight. Today, doctors would recognise the symptoms as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
What were the weapons used on the Western Front?
Rifles - rapid-fire weapons forced bullets deeper into the body
Machine guns - constant machine gun fire led to high numbers of casualties as soldiers advanced across No Man’s Land
Artillery - continuous bombing from large fixed guns caused half of all casualties
Shrapnel shells - explosions led to shell fragments driving deep into the body
What was chlorine gas?
-First used in 1915
-Caused suffocation, which led soldiers to have difficulty breathing and sometimes caused death
-Before gas masks were distributed, soldiers would soak cloth with urine and hold it to their faces to stop them breathing in the gas
What was phosphene gas?
-First used in 1915 at Ypres
-Caused suffocation and led to a very quick death
What was mustard gas?
-First used in 1917
-Did not cause a smell
-Burned the skin, causing internal and external blisters
-Caused suffocation and death
What was the role of a stretcher bearer?
Stretcher bearers recovered the dead and wounded from No Man’s Land. They would go out at night and during breaks in the fighting. This led to them having to overcome mud, shell craters and crowded trenches, sometimes in darkness. It took four men to carry a stretcher, sometimes more in deep mud. They would carry basic medical supplies, such as bandages.
What was the role of a Regimental aid post (RAP)?
A RAP was close to the front line, such as in a dugout (a hole dug in the side of a trench). Here light wounds would be treated so that soldiers could return to the front line. Those who needed more treatment were moved on to a dressing station.
