The Western Front Flashcards
1914 - 1918
What is the Western Front
British fought mainly on the Western Front in 4 significant locations:
1. Ypres (1915)
2. Somme (1916)
3. Arras (1917)
4. Cambrai (1917)
Describe Ypres
- 1915, in Belgium
- Ypres was on route to the Dunkirk and Calais channel that provided the English supplies (equipment, more soldiers and food). This needed to be defended so the English were reserved there.
- Germans were on a higher ground to the English so were able to see English movement and defences.
- 2nd Battle of Ypres Germans first gas attack challenging medical services.
- Grounds were flooded and soggy making it hard for stretcher bearers to transport.
Describe Somme
1916
The most notorious battle in ww1 as there were 400,000 casualties in total, on the first day there were 60,000 casualties and 20,000 of them dead.
Medical services were pressured to rapidly improve because of this (prevent further casualties and treat others)
Tanks were also used for transport but made the grounds uneven - became harder to transport and would take longer to treat the next wounded.
Describe Arras
1917, France
New Zealand and British soldiers build a network of tunnels for soldier accommodation and an underground hospital making it easier so stretcher barriers don’t have to cross no mans land or during battle.
Describe Cambrai
Late 1917, France
Battle of Cambrai - British brought tanks and used 420 of them. Not having enough footsoldiers for the tanks, lost their land as they had a little supply to defend.
5 Problems with Treating the Wounded
Bomb Dropping - Holes in the ground, difficult to get injured soldiers and walk on for stretcher bearers.
Stretcher Bearers - Had to get injured soldiers at night and couldn’t see, also had to get soldiers during the fighting risking their own injuries.
Ambulances - Horse drawn or motorised and would take a while to get the injured soldiers risking death before they even arrived.
Bacteria - Infection in wounds.
High Casualties - So many to help which made the process slower to help other wounded soldiers.
4 Main Illness
Trench Fever
Trench Foot
Dysentery
Shell Shock
Trench Fever (symptoms, cause and prevention)
Causes - Lice on clothes and bedding
Symptoms - Shivering, joint pain, headaches
Prevention - Lit match against clothing, disinfecting clothing and bedding, picking lice louse-repellent gel was given to some soldiers to put on their clothes and bodie
over crowding didn’t help - hygiene
Trench Foot (cause, treatment and prevention)
Cause: Waterlogged trenches
Treatment: Amputation
Prevention: Whale oil, mechanical pumps, sock changes
Symptoms: Gangrene (decomposing tissue)
Dysentery (symptoms, cause)
Cause: Overcrowding and poor hygiene
Symptoms: Stomach pains, diarrhoea
Shell Shock (cause)
What it is - PTSD, psychological reaction to war. Overlooked and resulted in treatment in the front line or if no return court marshalled or killed. Cowardice.
Causes - Shell attacks
4 Weapons / 6 Causes
- Rapid fire rifles
- Machine guns
- Artillery
- Gas Attacks
- Shrapnell Shells
- Fertiliser (resulted in gangrene)
Wounds (9) (Causes)
Blood loss
Broken bones
Bullet wounds
Eye loss
Hearing loss
Head injuries
Shell shock
limb loss/amputation
Internal injuries
Gases Synopsis
Introduced on 1915, made by Fritz Haber. Gas masks developed better over the years because of this.
Normal symptoms included: taste loss, eye loss, smell loss, coughing, death and suffocation. Many casualties would take longer to sort making treatment a slower process.
3 Gases in WWI
Chlorine Gas 1915 - Suffocation and death
Phosgene 1915 - Quick death, Ypres
Mustard Gas 1917 - Death, suffocation, internal and external blisters, skin burns, no smell
5 Steps for treating the Wounded
- Stretcher bearers of 4 men go on no mans land with medical supplies during the night or battle breaks. Had to overcome the mud while carrying off.
- Regimental Aid Prep (RAP) Near the front line, like dugouts, light wounds.
- Dressing Stations would be behind the trenches, if more serious injuries use horse ambulances or motor ambulances to transport to CCS.
- Casualties Cleaning Station (CCS) First facility for soldier injuries. Would have X-ray machines, operating theatres, nurses, doctors, surgeons. If serious move to base hospitals by train or motor vehicles.
- Base Hospitals had civilians or seriously injured. Had X-ray departments, special centres for specific wounds e.g: gas attacks, operating theatres, nurses, doctors, surgeons.
What was the chain of evacuation
A route to attend to injured soldiers quicker made survival rate higher.
What was the RAMC
Royal Army Medical Corps
What was FANY
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
- initially wanted Queen Alexandra Imperial Services for professional nurses but nurses fell short so accepted volunteers.
1915 used over 450 motor ambulances in France but still used horse as they were efficient for the mud and shells.
1917 Battle of Arras Hospitals
Had under ground hospitals in tunnels with 700 hospital ward beds. It was close to No Mans Land so it was effect to treat soldiers here.
What were trenches
1914 built from Belgium and France to Switzerland, so could defend claimed positions. in a zigzag formation to prevent direct firing on the front line, advanced over time.
Often blocked, created an issue for transporting wounded soldiers and treating them.
5 parts of a trench
Front line
Communication
Support
Reserve
Dugout
Front Line Trench
firing done here, closest to no mans land
Communication Trench
connected all trenches
Support Trench
where soldiers would retreat, behind the front line
Reserve Trench
soldiers would prep for counter attacks
Dugout
for rest and protection
No Mans Land
stretch of land between enemies and soldiers
Who was Fritz Haber
developer of gas poisoning
Who was Landstein
introduced blood transfusion in 1900
Who was Lister
developed antiseptic surgery which led to aseptic surgery
Who was Rontgen
discovered x rays in 1895
Is blood transfusions a treatment
yes
is aseptic surgery a prevention
yes
are x rays a treatment
yes
when were x - rays developed and by who
1895 and by Rontgen
he discovered that they can see through wood, paper and flesh but not metal and bones
why are x rays useful
can identify irregular objects such as bullets or shrapnel was well as see broken bones
who introduced blood transfusions and when
Landstein in 1900
what did Landstein discover about blood groups
if they are in compatible blood groups transfusions are possible, if they are incompatible the separate blood groups will release antibodies which will react with each other.
(antibodies fight of antigens and interpret the blood group as a antigen)
why would a donor and patient have to go in the same room for a blood transfusion
blood could not be stored because of it is it will clot
3 developments in medicine
x rays
blood transfusions
aseptic surgery
aseptic surgery vs antiseptic surgery
aseptic surgery - using precautions in surgery to prevent infection
antiseptic surgery - a substance that removes bacteria
who developed antiseptic surgery
Lister
how did aseptic surgery help
killed bacteria from wounds and surgical tools
what would have to be done for aseptic surgeries
hospitals would have to be cleaned
hospital gowns, masks and gloves would have to be sterilised
surgical tools would have to be steam sterilised
why was antiseptic surgery unable to be preformed on the western front
the conditions would increase the risk of infection and treatment centres couldn’t be freed of bacteria
what replaced acid was used to remove bacteria
carbolic acid
what was the problem with carbolic acid
it was unable to treat gangrene
is carbolic acid a treatment
yes
what was the Carol-Dakin method
a tube containing carbolic acid inserted into soldiers to keep it flowing around the wound and fighting infections
give an example where carbolic acid was used to treat a wound
in 1915 where surgeons would have to insure that shrapnel and bullets were removed before dead tissue was cut off and the wound left open then the antiseptic was put in to remove bacteria
was an increase in casualties positive or negative explain
positive - led to greater knowledge of medicine
negative - doctors were under pressure to heal soldiers quickly so they could return to fighting
negative - more casualties meant slower process
who created the Thomas splint and when
the late 19th century, Thomas Owen
how did the Thomas splint help
fix broken bones, prevented bones from rubbing against each other, reduced the death rate from 80% to 20%
in 1916 what was the main reason for soldiers death
broken thigh bones rubbing against each other
the army in 1915 used two x ray mobile machines, true or false
true
in 1916 x ray machines were being used in ccs (Casualties Cleaning Station) and based hospital true or false
true
what was a CCS
Casualties Cleaning Station
what was a RAP
Regimental Aid Prep
why couldn’t blood be stored
it would clot
what was sodium citrate
a chemical added to blood to prevent clotting so it could be stored
what was citrate glucose
a chemical added to blood so it could refrigerate
what has scientists discovered about blood
it could be refrigerated for several days
who was Geoffrey Keynes
a British scientist who developed portable machines to carry blood to the front lines to treat injured soliders
what happened before the battle of Cambrai 1917
time tanks and machine guns were commonly being used so having blood banks stocked prevented serval injuries on the battlefield.
