Western Front

What were the conditions in the Western Front?

• Poor hygiene

• trench foot epidemics

• full of rats(plague) & lice(trench foot) - diseases

• wet/flooded depending on the weather

• Corpses were buried at the side of the trenches

How was life in the trenches?

Daily life was monotonous and often very dull. It involved the cleaning and inspection of weapons; the construction and repair of trench defences; the removal of dead and wounded from trenches and no man's land; the transfer of supplies, food rations and new equipment; observing enemy activity and movement; repairing barbed wire defences; delousing of uniforms.

Characteristics of the trenches

• Shallow

• Zigzag - prevented soldiers from being able to see/fire directly. however, they were narrow and often blocked.

• No electricity

• No clean water
  - British trenches were badly designed because they believed the war would be short

Why was Britain in disadvantage?

• Germany Army was double the size (160,000 soldiers)

• German trenches were well-designed

• German strategies were better

Front Trench

• Where attacks would be made

• worst design for trench

• Shallowest trench

Support Trench

• Aout 80 metres behind the front line

• Where troops woulld retreat - in case the front line came into attack

Reserve trench

• 100 metres behind the support trench

• where reserve troops could be mobilised for a counter attack - in case the front line was captured

Communication trench

ran between other trenches

1914: First battle of Ypres

• BEF moved to prevent German advances

• Germans launched on attack on Britain

• 12th october - 11th November

• Britain lost 50,000 but maintained control, but Germany controlled the edges

1915: Second battle of Ypres

• After Hill 60 Battle

• 22nd April - 25th may 1915

• First (German) use of chlorine gas on the Western Front

• Germany moves two miles closer

• 59,000 British men lost

1916: The Battle of the Somme

• 1st July - 18th November 1916

• British: 20,00 men dead and 400,000 injured (By November 1916)

• Creeping barrage, banks in warfare

1917: The battle of Arras

• Easy to build tunnels

• April 1917 - May 1917

• 24,000 British men were attacked trying to breakthrough

• Slow advance

1917: Third Battle of Ypres

• british wanted Ypres salient

• 31st July - 10th November 1917

• Moved about 7 miles

• 245,000 British casualties

1917: Battle of Cambrai

• Launched 20th October 1917

• Large scale use of tanks

FANY

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. First women’s voluntary organisation. founded in 1907

RAMC

Royal Army Medical Corps. Branch of army responsible for medical care in 1898.

Chain of evacuation

Regimental Aid Posts

• Provided immediate first aid and triage for the wounded.

• Stabilized soldiers for further evacuation.

• Could not perform surgery or keep casualties for long.

• Seriously wounded were moved quickly to the next stage.

• 200 metres from the front

ADS

• Continued first aid and triage.

• Treated shock and bleeding.

• Prepared wounded for further transport.

• Could hold the wounded temporarily but was not equipped for surgery.

• 1km behind the front line

MDS

• Further assessment and treatment.

• Some minor surgeries and emergency interventions.

• Wounded categorized: those who could return to the front vs. those needing further evacuation

• 1-2 miles behind the front line

CCS

• First major surgical facility.

• Treated life-threatening injuries.

• Carried out operations (e.g., amputations, abdominal surgery).

• Stabilized patients before they were moved to hospitals further back.

• Prioritized based on triage: most likely to survive with treatment went first.

• 5-10 miles behind the front line

Base Hospital

• Long-term care and recovery.

• More complex surgeries.

• Convalescence and rehabilitation.

• Eventually, wounded were either returned to duty or evacuated to Britain.

• many miles from the front

Evacuation to Britain

• Severely wounded soldiers were sent to Britain for extended recovery.

• Care continued in military or civilian hospitals.

• transport by train, barge or ship

Thomas Splint

• A tool that prevented your leg from moving untill the surgery

• created by Robert Jones and Hugh Thomas

• Increased the survival rate from 20% to 82%