The British Sector of the Western Front - grade 9 knowledge

Chain of evacuation order

Regimental Aid Post → dressing stations → Casualty Clearing Stations → base hospitals

What was the regimental aid post

• located within 200m of frontline, in communication trenches

• Purpose was to give immediate first aid, get as many men back to front as quick as possible, could not deal with serious injuries

What were dressing stations (ADS and MDS)

• usually ADS within 400m of RAP and MDS about half a mile away, usually in tents/bunker to provide protection

• Only looked after men for a week

• Staffed by 10 medical officers, stretcher bearers and nurses

• Could deal w 150 men but in battles like Ypres dealt with 1000 casualties in 2 days

What were casualty clearing stations (CCS)

• around 7 miles away from frontline, close to railway and for ambulance wagons

• Several doctors, operating theatres, x ray machines, wards

• Deal w 1000 casualties at a time, at third battle of Ypres the CCS treated over 200,000 casualties, 4% dying

• CCS treated most critical injuries close to front, was important as would stop gangrene infection so men sent back

• CCS had triage system to assess wounded into 3 categories: walking wounded (patch up, send back), in need of hospital treatment (move to base hospital), no chance recovery (make them comfortable)

What were base hospitals

• situated near ports on French/Belgian coast on trainlines and canals

• Had operating theatres, x ray machines, labs, specialist centres for treating gas poisoning and head wounds

• Specialist wards allowed doctors to become experts on treatment of particular wounds

• Could treat 2500 patients at once

• Most patients sent back to England, those w Blighty Wounds

Thomas Splint

• in 1914-15 men with gunshot or shrapnel wounds in leg would have very small chance of survival

• Hugh Thomas invented Thomas Splint, tested in hospital in London, kept the leg straight so the bone healed in correct position

• From December 1915, medical practitioners on the front were trained on how to use the splint, survival rates increased from 20% to 80%

The blood bank at Cambrai

• 1915: Richard Lewisohn found adding sodium citrate to blood stopped it clotting so could be stored

• 1916: Francis Rous + James Turner found adding citrate glucose solution to blood meant could be kept refrigerated up to 4 weeks

• In prep for battle, 1917, Oswald Robertson stored 22 units blood in first blood depot

• Was first time blood used to treat soldiers in shock

• Blood at CCS could now be used to make huge difference to survival of injured on frontline

Mobile x ray units

Set up to be available close to the Front, allowed the fragments of shrapnel to be identified so they could be removed and wound wouldn’t become infected.