Studied by 3 peopleTags & Description
What were some problems with the terrain on the western front?
Land was farmland with fertilisers in the soil which caused gangrene, land was uneven
Consequences of the problems caused by the terrain
few places for soldiers to hide, wounds became infected from the fertilisers, landscape made it hard to transport wounded soldiers
Problems with the weather on the western front
In winter in France and Belgium the weather was cold, wet and snowy
Consequences of the weather on the western front
Soldiers were at risk of illness, morale was low
Effects on the landscape of fighting
Shells made the ground irregular
Consequences of the effects of fighting on the landscape
Floods could drown soldiers, horses and carts couldnāt cross the battlefield to transport the wounded
Frontline trench was
Closest to the enemy
How long could soldiers spend in the front line
Up to ten days
How was the front line built
In zigzag formation
How far behind the front line were the support trenches
80 metres
What were support trenches used for
A fallback if front line was destroyed by shells
How far behind support trenches were reserve trenches
100m
What were reserve trenches used for
Counter attacks
When was the first battle of Ypres
1914
when was the battle of hill 60
1915
How many soldiers were lost in the first battle of Ypres
Over 50,000
When was the second battle of Ypres
1915
How many men were killed in the second battle of Ypres
59,000
When was chlorine gas used for the first time by the Germans
The second battle of Ypres
When was the battle of the Somme
1916
How many casualties were there on the first day of the battle of the Somme
57000
How many casualties overall in the battle of the Somme
400,000
What were used for the first time in the battle of the Somme
Tanks
When was the battle of Arras
1917
How many casualties were there in the battle of arras
160,000
What did the people of arras do during the battle
Tunnelled underground and created a network of tunnels including a hospital
When was the third battle of Ypres
July-Nov 1917
How many casualties were there in the third battle of Ypres
245000
What happened to many men during the third battle of Ypres
They drowned due to extreme weather conditions
When was the battle of Cambrai
October 1917
How many casualties were there in the battle of Cambrai
40,000
What big event happened at the battle of Cambrai?
Blood banks were used for the first time
What was trench foot caused by
Standing in muddy water for too long
What happened to your feet with trench foot
They would swell up and cause gangrene
How could you prevent trench foot
Changing socks and keeping your feet dry
What was trench fever
An infection caused by lice causing high temperatures and aching muscles
What reduced the amount of trench fever cases
Delousing stations that were set up
How many soldiers died from trench fever
Half a million
What was shell shock caused by
Constant exposure to gunfire and bombardments
What were symptoms of shell shock
Mental breakdowns, nightmares, muteness
What happened to some soldiers due to shell shock
They were shot for believed ācowardiceā
How many soldiers suffered from shell shock
80,000
What did bullets and shrapnel cause
Death from bleeding or infection
What invention reduced the number of head injuries
The Brodie helmet in 1915
By how much did the Brodie helmet reduce head injuries
80%
What was wound infection caused by
Gas gangrene and tetanus from the soil
When was the tetanus vaccine developed
1914
What did tetanus cause
Fever
How many deaths did gas attacks cause
6000
When were gas masks given to troops
1915
When was phosgene gas first used
Near Ypres in 1915
What did phosgene gas cause
Quick suffocation
When was mustard gas first used
1917
What did mustard gas do
Caused internal and external blisters, could penetrate clothes
How many of the doctors in England were called to serve on the western front
Almost half a million
Royal army medical corpse members
Surgeons, doctors, nurses, medical officers and field ambulance
What did the field ambulance do
Transported injured soldiers off the battlefield (stretcher bearers)
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY)
Women who became nurses for the RAMC
When did women become ambulance drivers?
1916 A
when were motor ambulances introduced
october 1914
How far from the front line were Regimental Aid Posts built?
200m in communication trenches
How many medical officers staffed the RAPs?
One
What sort of aid was given at RAPs?
Immediate first aid treatment
How far from the front line were Advanced Dressing Stations located?
400m
Where were advanced dressing stations usually set up?
In abandoned buildings/tents
How many medical officers staffed ADSs?
10 medical officers
How many men could Advanced Dressing Stations house at a time?
150 men
What was the maximum stay at ADSs?
One week
How far from the front line were casualty clearing stations?
Far enough to be safe from enemy bombardments
What buildings were CCSs set up in?
Permanent buildings like Churches/schools
What were CCSs located close to to transport patients?
Railways
What was set up in CCSs to decide who was urgent, who wasnāt and who was going to die?
A triage system
How long could soldiers stay in CCSs?
An extended period of time
After CCSs, where did patients with serious injuries go?
Base hospitals
how far from the battlefield were Base hospitals located?
Far from war
Why were base hospitals located close to the coasts?
So patients could be transported to England
What did base hospitals become due to development of the CCS?
Places where new medical techniques were experimented with
Why was transporting wounded soldiers to safety so problematic?
The landscape was full of craters and many roads had been destroyed
At the beginning of the war infectionā¦
Was rife due to unhygienic conditions and soldiers would die quickly
At the beginning of the war why was aseptic treatment not used even though it was available?
CCSs were too crowded and dirty for it
At the end of the war what technique was used in treatment of infection?
Debridement
Debridement
Removing infected tissue before stitching wounds
When was the Carol Dakin method used first?
1917 CD
Carol Dakin method
Dressing wounds with a sterilised salt solution to prevent and fight infection
Disadvantage of Carol Dakin method
The solution needed to be made regularly, didnāt work for deep wounds
What treatment also became common during WW1?
Amputations
At the start of the war, what was the chance of men with leg injuries surviving?
20%
Why was the chance of men with leg injuries surviving low?
Fractured bones would pierce the skin and damage blood vessels especially during travel
What was the solution to increase the chance of survival with leg injuries?
The Thomas Splint
What did the Thomas splint do?
Kept legs still when travelling
When were medics trained to use the Thomas splint?
December 1915
What did the survival rate rise to for leg injuries after the invention of the Thomas splint?
82%
When were x-rays developed?
1895
What were x-rays commonly used for at the beginning of the war?
To find shell fragments in bodies
What were the downsides of x-rays at the beginning of the war
Slow, unreliable, overheated quickly, hard to transport
When did American Tech improve X-rays?
1917 XR
How did American tech solve the issue of X-rays overheating
3 machines were used in rotation
What did the RAMC develop to transport x-rays and increase the chance of survival?
Mobile X-rays
Why couldnāt blood transfusions be used at the beginning of the war?
There was no way of storing blood for long periods of time
Why did many patients die from the shock of a blood transfusion at the start of the war?
They had to be done directly from donor to patient
Note
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