Unit 5: British Sector Of The Western Front Flashcards
What were the trenches?
The trenches were the front lines and the most dangerous place to be, behind them was a mass of supply lines, training establishments, stores, workshops and headquarters. They were where the soldiers were.
Why did they build the trenches?
-most of the fighting was done by the foot soldiers who spent their days in the trenches they had built in the earth to protect themselves
-they were protected with sandbags and barbed wire, they were defended by men with rifles, bayonets, machine guns and grenades
-in between was an area called no man’s land, a dead world littered by by craters and dead bodies
Why were the trenches in France?
In France the trenches ran through towns and villages, through industrial works, coal mines, brickyards, across railway tracks, trough farms, fields and woods, across rivers, canals and streams. Each feature presented its own set of challenges for the men who had to dig in and defend
What were zigzag trenches?
Typically they zigzagged, this prevented the enemy troops from simply firing down the length of the trench lines killing lots of soldiers. It helped prevent any gas attacks from spreading far down the line, if artillery shells landed in the trench then less lives would be lost.
What was the trench rota?
Typically a group of soldiers (battalion) would be expected to serve a spell in the front line. This would be followed by a stint spent in support and then in reserve lines. Soldiers would spent 4 days in the front, 4 days in support, 8 days in reserve
What were the advantages of the forward trench?
-easy to make
-easy to defend
-cheap to build
-lots of men to build them
-offered some protection
What were the disadvantages of the forward trench?
-very dirty
-no running water
-can collapse easily
-no toliets
-became waterlogged
What was life like in the trenches?
In the area of the river Somme on the western front, the ground is chalky and is easily dug. The trench sides will crumble easily after rain, so would be built up with wood, sandbags or any other suitable material. At Ypres the ground is naturally boggy and that water table very high, so trenches were not really dug more built io using sandbags and wood
When did world war 1 start?
1914 when the arch duke frank Ferdinand was assinated. The countries involved were England, Germany, Russia, France, USA, Japan, Austria, Hungary, Italy and Serbia
What were the treatments of shell shock?
The main work was occupational therapy, intensive therapy sessions. He cured these cases by means of persuasion and hypnotism. He was able to cure 90% of shell shocked soldiers in just one session
What were the causes of shell shock?
At first shell which was thought to be caused by soldiers being exposed to exploding shells but it soon became apparent that it was a reaction to the horrors of war
What were the symptoms of shell shock?
Soldiers were returning from the trenches blind, deaf, mute or paralysed. Soldiers often couldn’t eat or sleep.
What did a British soldier wear and why?
-They didn’t wear helmets unit 1915
-Wound dressings
-Leather jacket
-Putties to keep legs dry
-Goatskin coat
-Given gas masks
What weapons did a British soldier wear?
-Leenfield help because it was fast and accurate
-Bayonet
-Entrencing rod
Who provided the care for the wounded soldiers?
The first aid nursing yeomanry (FANY) was a voluntary organisation set up in 1907, it was originally created to provide emergency medical care for soldiers. They were trained in first aid and being very mobile
What was the field ambulance dressing stations?
This was 400m from the RAP, it was located in abandoned buildings, dugouts or bunkers. From 1915 nurses were available and most men again walked or were carried there by stretcher in stages
What were the casualty clearing station?
These were a good distance from the front but accessible by ambulance wagons, they were set up in schools or factories and usually near a railway line. These would deal with critical injuries e.g chest. Walking wounded would be patched up and sent back, if needed hospital treatment they would be sent back after treatment. Severely wounded would be made comfortable
What is aseptic surgery?
A surgery where bacteria is eliminated from the room, everything is sterilised
What were the base hospitals?
These were located near the French or Belgian coast, close to the ports to be transferred home. Base hospitals used to continue the treatments of casualty clearing station. They began to experiment and base hospitals were required to perform most of operations
What does shock lead to?
Shock leads to your body shutting down, this meant that when surgery’s were being performed without anaesthetic people would go into shock
Where is arras?
Arras is above the Somme battleground
What are three types of anaesthetic?
chloroform
-laughing gas
-ether
What was important about arras?
Its chalky soil provided an excellent opportunity to attack the Germans in 1917. They began to tunnel under the town of Arras in November 1916 it was equipped with waiting rooms, operating theatres, rest stations and piped water
Who was Karl landsteiner and what did he do?
He discovered different blood groups, this made it possible to perform blood transfusions. He found some blood groups were incompatible and if they were mixed it’s fatal.
