British Sector of the Western Front

Overview of the British sector

Soldiers fought in trenches between 1914-18 in WW1 . 2.7 million causalities 700000 killed or taken prisoner

Why were trenches built?

German and allies couldn’t beat each other outright so they built trenches that developed through the war

Why was Ypres important?

last major town before the channel ports of Calais and Dunkirk so if Germany captured it they could cut of supplies to the British army

1914

Battle of Ypres Germany launched at attack on the BEF Britain held onto Ypres but lost 50 000 men

Hill 60

Germany captured in 1914 gave them a strategic advantage . Britain tunneled into the hill and placed 5 mines which blew the top off hill 60

1915

second battle of Ypres sequence of battles Germans used chlorine gas for the first time

59 000 dead Germany 2 miles closer to Ypres

1916

Battle of Somme

Northern France

bloodiest war in ww1

lasted 140 days

first day 60 000 British casualties

only 174 medical officers

1917 - 3…

3 battle of Ypres British aimed to break out of Ypres

main attack on 21 July in Passchendaele advanced 2 miles before the weather turned and ground waterlogged

7 miles cost of 245 000 men

1917 A….

Battle of Aras 24000 men hiding in tunnels attacked German trenches

progress was made at the start but only 8 mile gained and 160 000 dead

1917 C…

Battle of Cambrai

First large scale use of tanks - nearly 500 could move across barbed wire easily

45 000 dead

Problems with Communcation

constant shelling - left landscape full of craters

Before the war land was farmland so fertiliser used which was still in the soil and added to the risk of infection

Motor ambulances were not sent when the war started horse wagons were used couldn’t cope with the large number too slow

motor vehicles sent as a result of

the red cross and a campaign in the times

later stages of the war …

trains were designed for stretchers on either side of the carriage

What were trenches like

zig zag pattern

contained dug outs for men to take cover

Front line

where attacks were made from

has 2 trenches fire trench and the supervision trench in zig zag shape to stop enemy firing at them

Command Trench

10-20 metres behind enemy firing line

Support trench

60 - 90 metres behind front trench

where troops could retreat if they came under enemy fire

Reserve Trench

at least 100 metres behind support trench

where troops were stationed

made of dugouts

Communication Trenches

connected trench lines to each other

used to send messages

Key features of a trench

dugouts dug into the side walls - offered protection

sand bags to offer protection and keep the wall in place

barbed wire set Infront of the trench to make it harder for enemy infantry to attack

Impact of the Trench System

difficult to move men because lots of men and equipment

stretcher bearers difficult to move around corners and to safely collect wounded from no mans land - constant fire

The underground Hospital at Aras

in the battle of arras 160 000 soldiers killed so existing quarries and tunnels were extended to create an underground town for soldiers with a hospital and running water and electricty

Chlorine

First used by Germans in 1915

death by suffocation

July everybody given gas mask

before urine used to prevent gas

Phosgene

First used by Germans in 1915

Quicker than chlorine but had similar effects could kill a person in 2 days

Mustard

First used By Germans in 1917

Odourless gas worked in 12 hours

caused blisters and could burn clothing

Gas was the cause of

5 percent of British deaths

blindness loss of taste and smell

treated with oxygen

Trench fever

body lice

flu like symptoms high temp

some drugs used didn’t work passing electric current through affected areas

1918 lice as cause realised

clothes disinfected delousing stations

half a million men affected

Trench Foot

Soldiers stood in waterlogged trenches causing swelling

tight boots resricted blood flow

gangrene

clean and dry feet

changing socks whale oil into feet

20 000 in 1914-15 affected

Shell shock

stressful conditions of war

loud explosions

tiredness nightmares

condition not understood

Wilfred own treated for it

80 000 troops experienced

some men accused of cowardice and could be shot

Rifle

could fire rapidly because of cartridge case responsible for 39 percent of wounds

Machine Gun

New 500 rounds fired each minute

Artillery

canons grew bigger and more powerfull

could send 900 kg shells

Shrapnel

high explosive shells and shrapnel - small pieces of metal form the shell responsible for 58 percent of wounds

Problems for streatcher bearers

terrain

trenches poorly organised

Chain of Evacuation

Regimental aid post

Advanced dressing station

Medical Dressing station

Casualty clearing station

Base hospital

RAP

200m from frontline in communication trench

regimental medical officers and stretcher bearers present to give immediate first aid

ADS

400m from RAP

located in abonded buildings dug outs

each had 10 medical officers and stretcher bearers

some nurses present after 1915

injured would be walked or streatchered

MDS

Half mile from ADS personal and location same as ads

those working here belonged to field ambulance which could deal with 150 men sometimes more

Casualty Clearing Stations

where operations would take place

divide into walking wounded and those in need of treatment

divide into wards

important until it had to move because of German final push

Base Hospital

near French and Belgium border

Stationary and General Hospital

could take up to 400 patient

close to transport networks

turned into specialist hospitals

had x-rays

RAMC

Royal Army medical corps ran field ambulances set up medical stations

stretcher bearers

horses wagons

motor ambulances 1915

9000 in 1914 to 1130 000 in 1918

FANY

provided transport services

women trained in first aid worked as field ambulances moving wounded between places

ran soup kitchens and mobile bathing vehicles

drove supplies

Why was it not possible to perform aseptic surgery?

risk of contamination and high number of soldiers needing treatment

How were the wounded treated

Wound excision cutting away damaged tissue done quickly and wound closed to reduce infection

Carrel Dakin Method sterilised salt solution used in wound to last 6 hours so ahs to be made when needed

Amputation If infection cant be stopped

in 1918 240 000 lost limbs

Thomas Splint

Men with gunshot wound had 20 percent survival rates a compund fracture

used form 1916 stopped 2 joints moving and increased rate to 82 percent

William Rontgen

discovered Xray’s used at the start of the war to detect local bullets and shrapnel

soldier had to remain still and Xray tubes were fragile

needed time to cool

mobile x-rays used on the western front

Harvey Crushing

Brain surgery using a magnet to remove metal from the brain

used local not general anaesthetic to prevent swelling from the procedure

Harold Gilles

Developed new techniques in facial reconstruction

developed tube pedicle which made skin grafting more effective

How was infection fought at the start of the war?

Anti tetanus serum

Wounds washed in Aseptic solution

Antibiotics

Carrel Dakin method

1915 aseptic solution flushed into a wound using rubber tubes before closure

irrigation

problems with blood

couldn’t be stored

clotted in the tubes

antibodies attacked foreign blood

Lawrence Bruce Robertson

blood transfusions 1915 syringe and tube used to transfer blood

stop patient going into shock before surgery

Geoffrey Keynes

Mobile blood transfusion station provided transfusions close to the front line

controlled the flow of blood so didn’t clot

used a ccs saved many lives

Richard Weill

1915 discovered a way of refrigerating blood

Rous and Turner

adding citrate glucose could enable blood to store longer

Where were blood transfusions used for the first time

Cambrai 1917