1914 - 1918; The British Sector of the Western Front

When were steel helmets introduced?

1915

How many (estimated) British soldiers suffered shellshock?

80,000

When was the cause of trench fever identified as lice?

1918

What percentage of injuries were made up of arm and leg injuries?

67%

What was responsible for 58% of wounds?

high explosive shells and shrapnel (from a case study of 200,000 men)

When was phosgene gas first used?

End of 1915 near Ypres

When was mustard gas first used?

1917 by the Germans

When was chlorine gas first used?

1915, second battle at Ypres

How did soldiers protect themselves from gas attacks?

Hold cotton pads soaked in urine to their faces

Which year did the British army start giving out gas masks to everyone?

1915

Key facts on the first battle of Ypres?

- Autumn 1914
- Brits lost over 50,000 men

Key facts on the second battle of Ypres?

- April 1915
- First time chlorine gas was used on the western front
- approx. 59,000 brits died

Key facts on the battle of Arras?

- April 1917
- nearly 160,000 British and Canadian casualties
- Underground tunnels with fully working hospital

Key facts on the battle of the Somme?

- July 1916
- 57,000 died on one day
- over 400,000 British casualties by the end

Key facts on the battle of Hill 60?

- april 1915
- first use of offensive mining
- Was a manmade hill that the Brits dug into and placed 5 mines

Key facts on the battle of Passchendaele?

- july 1917
- Awful weather, many died of drowning
- 245,000 British casualties

Key facts on the battle of Cambrai?

- October 1917
- First use of tanks on a large scale (nearly 500)
- blood banks

Who was Oswald Hope Robertson?

He stored 22 units of blood which he used to treat 20 Canadian soldiers, none of whom were expected to live but 11 did.

If you add sodium citrate you can store blood

Who were Stretcher Bearers?

Recovered the dead/wounded
16 per battalion of around 1,000
4 people per stretcher
carried basic care

What was the RAMC?

Royal Army Medical Corps, responsible for medical care. They were founded in 1898.

What were dressing stations?

In theory there should have been an Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) about 400m from the RAP and a Main Dressing Station (MDS) a further half a mile back. In practice this was often not the case. Where possible these were located in abandoned buildings, dug outs, bunkers or tents

What were regimental aid posts?

A RAP was close to the front line (within 200m) , such as in a dugout (a hole dug in the side of a trench). Here light wounds would be treated so that soldiers could return to the front line. Those who needed more treatment were moved on to a dressing station.

What was a casualty clearing station?

They were far away but close to transport. They were to deal with critical injuries and they split people in a triage.

What was the FANY?

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. They were founded in 1907. They were the first women's voluntary organisation, providing frontline support.

What were Base Hospitals?

Located near the coast - wounded men were near to ports to be transported home
Men were treated until they could return home or back to the frontline
Experimented with new techniques
Divided patients into wards according to their wounds
Most important place for operations

When were the first motor ambulances sent to the western front?

1914

Amputation key facts?

- By 1918 240,000 men had lost limbs

Thomas Splint key facts?

- In 1914 + 1915 men with wounds to the leg had 20% of survival
- Prevented leg from moving
- Increased survival rates from 20% - 82%

Mobile x-rays key facts?

- used from 1914
- helped identify areas to look at

What was gas gangrene?

Infected wounds which became swollen with gas

2 key features of the Thomas splint?

1. Kept the leg rigid to prevent further damage
2. Mortality rate for gun/shrapnel wounds to the leg dropped from 80% - 20%

2 key features of blood transfusions?

1. First used at Cambrai - used to treat 20 soldiers that were expected to die; 11 survived
2. Added sodium citrate to store the blood (not donor to donor)

Key features of the support trench?

1. 80m from front line, place for soldiers to rest
2. backup incase front line trench became taken by germans

Key features of the reserve trench?

1. 100m behind support trench
2. reserve troops could be mobilised for counter attack on front line trench

2 Key features of Regimental Aid Posts? (1)

1. Located within 200m of the front line in deserted buildings, tents, etc
2. Regimental medical officer and stretcher bearers for first aid knowledge, couldn't treat severe injuries

2 Key features of Advanced dressing stations? (2)

1. (supposed) to be 400m from RAP, often not possible, in abandoned building where possible
2. Staffed by 10 officers and nurses from 1915

2 Key features of Main dressing stations? (3)

1. In theory could deal with 150 wounded men
2. Couldn't tend to wounded men for more than a week

2 Key features of Casualty clearing stations? (4)

1. Away from front line and operated on serious injuries, often near railway
2. Used triage system; walking wounded, hospital treatment, no chance of recovery

2 Key features of Base Hospitals? (5)

1. Located on the coast to wounded men could get back to Britain
2. Dealt with serious injuries

2 key features of mobile x-rays?

1. Used from 1914 to identify if there were bullets left behind
2. 20 were sent to the western front (petit curies)