Medicine: WW1 Western Front Flashcards
(46 cards)
1
Q
Ypres
A
- Most direct route to Calais and Dunkirk ports
- Germany wanted to cut off ports (no supplies for British Army)
- Ypres Salient was vulnerable land and Germany had land overlooking it (e.g. Hill 60) from above so could fire down
- When Allies attacked Hill 60 mines were dug and the top of the hill was blown off
2
Q
Arras
A
- Before this battle NZ and northern England soldiers dug a network of tunnels beneath Arras
- The chalky earth made tunnelling easy
- Had running water and electricity
- Rooms for soldiers to sleep in
- A hospital with 700 beds and operating theatres
- Tunnels also used for shelter from artillery fire and conveying troops to the front
3
Q
The Somme
A
- 60,000 casualties on first day alone
- Total 400,000 allied casualties
- Total 450,000 German casualties
- Only 5 miles of gained land
- Lots of pressure on medics
4
Q
Cambrai
A
- First large scale use of tanks, 450 used against German front line
- Not enough infantry (surprise attack) so British lost all the land they had gained in the first day
- Blood banks first used
5
Q
Front line
A
- Trench nearest the enemy where soldiers would fire from
- Most dangerous trench, at risk of shelling, sniper fire
- In worse condition due to constant attack and heavy use
- Had firing step, duckboards, parapet
- Soldiers spent 15% of time there
6
Q
Support trench
A
- Had more men and supplies to support front line
- At risk artillery fire, but safer then front line
- Connected to front line by communication trenches
- Soldier spent 10% of time there
7
Q
Communication trench
A
- Connected front line with other trenches
- Used for communicating orders and news
- Used for transporting supplies, wounded and reserve troops
- Often very crowded and muddy due to heavy use
8
Q
Reserve trench
A
- Furthest from front line so safest and in best condition
- Troops would wait here in case enemy broke through front line
- Soldiers spent 30% of time there
9
Q
Command trench
A
- 10-20 metres behind front line
- Linked to front line by communication trenches
10
Q
Traverse trench
A
Protected soldiers from shell blasts, stopped the enemy moving quickly along the trenches
11
Q
Parapet
A
Bank of earth thrown in front of trench, elbow rest whilst firing, protection from incoming fire
*Parados was the equivalent, but at the back of the trench
12
Q
Revetting
A
Support on sides of trench (wood, netting or congrugated iron) to stop them caving in during bad weather or enemy shelling
13
Q
Firestep
A
Simple platform in side of trench for soldiers to stand on whilst firing without showing any part of their body
14
Q
TERRAIN problems with treatment on the Western Front
A
- Soldiers had to collect wounded from No Man’s Land at night and under fire
- No Man’s Land was deep in mud and featured deep shell craters, many flooded
15
Q
TRANSPORT problems with treatment on the Western Front
A
- Trenches could be clogged with equipment and men going in different directions
- Stretchers had to be manoeuvred around corners and often under fire
- There could be many wounded men
16
Q
COMMUNICATION problems with treatment on the Western Front
A
- Telephones and the wireless required lots of working parts which were easily damaged in the constant firing
- Messages and orders were shouted but it was very noisy
17
Q
Rifles
A
- Efficient
- Automatic, rapid fire
- Pointed bullet shape drove them deeper into the body from a longer distance
18
Q
Machine guns
A
- Same as the firepower of 100 rifles
- Major part of trench defences
- Had devastating impact against enemies approaching over No Man’s Land
- Mass produced by industry on both sides
19
Q
Artillery
A
- Successors of the cannon grew bigger and more powerful throughout war
- British developed a horwitzer which could send 900kg shells across over 12 miles
- Bursts of shell fire lasted longer
- Factories made millions of shells, so continuous bombardments could last weeks, months
- Artillery fire was greatest killer of all weapons, causing half of all casualties
20
Q
Shrapnel
A
- Hollow shell packed with steel balls or led, with gunpowder and a timer fuse
- Designed to explode mid air above enemy causing maximum casualties
- Was most effective against advancing troops
21
Q
Trench fever
A
•Cramped conditions spread lice
-High fever, headaches, aching muscles, sores on skin
+Stay clean, disinfect clothes
*July 1917-18 15% men unfit for duty due to trench fever
22
Q
Trench foot
A
•Flooded trenches meant wet feet
-Loss in blood circulation, socks could start to grow on feet
+Rest, whale oil, amputation in severe cases
*1914-15 wet winter increased cases of trench foot
23
Q
Shell shock
A
•Constant shelling scarred men
-Panic, paralysis, blindness, deafness, depression, insomnia, heart palpitations, dizziness
+Rest, food, talks
*1916 became major medical concern with 16,000 cases in 6 months
24
Q
Wounds
A
•Bullets, shells, shrapnel due to constant attacks
-Broken bones, pierced organs, shrapnel in skin
+Arms or legs amputated, steel or leather helmets
*1915 more extensive surgery to remove tissue surrounding bullets and shrapnel to prevent infection
25
Infection (gas gangrene)
•Soil from trenches got into wounds
-Wounds hugely swollen with gas and turning white then green and making bubbling sound or sensation when pressed
+Amputation, keeping wounds clean
26
Gas
•Became a popular weapon after Ypres
-Death, runny noses, blindness, blisters and sores, breathing problems
+Protective masks were given to all soldiers, bathing and washing fumes off clothes
27
Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC)
- Organised and provided medical care
- All ranks of medical officers and men
- Expanded to cope by increasing men by over 12 times by 1918 for number of wounded
- Responsible for keeping men healthy through good sanitation (and treating injured and sick)
- More doctors able to be recruited by raising the age you could serve abroad to 45, but they had to learn quickly to work in these conditions
28
Volunteer Aid Detatchment (VAD)
- Main body of military nurses in 1914 were the well trained Queen Alexandra's nurses
- 300 of them in 1914 but 10,000 by end of war due to change in attitudes towards nurses serving in front line
- In 1914 British only accepted QA nurses (other volunteers found work in French and Belgian armies instead)
- But number of casualties was too high, so soon thousands of women were supporting the British army
- Best known volunteers were the VADs, mainly middle and upper class women with little experience before war (started off just cleaning, but by 1917 were nursing)
29
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY)
- Founded in 1907 by a soldier who was injured in Sudan, Africa
- He wanted it to be a nursing cavalry on horses, riding through battle and rescuing the wounded
- Nearly 500 women helped the wounded, but as ambulance drivers and nurses
- Also worked for Belgian army until 1916, when British changed policy and started recruiting women
- One FANY unit ran the Calais ambulance convoy for 2 years with 22 drivers and 12 ambulances
- Others carried supplies to front, driving motorised kitchens and even mobile baths which could give baths to 40 men an hour
30
Barge ambulances
Used in July 1916, with a fleet of ambulance barges carrying wounded along the River Somme
31
Stretcher bearer
Found it hard to move across rough terrain, especially under fire
Couldn't move many people at a time
32
Ambulance trains
We're an important development, able to carry up to 800 casualties
There were 4 ambulance trains in 1914, but 28 by July 1916 (Somme)
33
Horse ambulance
Continued to be valuable, but tricky in muddy and cratered ground and not enough to transport lots of wounded at time
34
Motor ambulances
By November 1914 there were 250 motor ambulances in France with more arriving daily, when earlier the horse ambulances were struggling with the numbers of wounded
35
Medical development: treating wounds and infection
| State the problem tackled, method and benefit
•Cause of death and infection
-Antiseptic method*, carbolic acid to kill bacteria, chemical solution flows through wounds
+Continuous treatment, fewer amputations
*Carrel-Dakin method
36
Medical development: the Thomas Splint
| State the problem tackled, method and benefit
•Blood loss, bones grinding
-Thomas splint pulled leg lengthways to stop grinding and reduce blood loss
+Reduced death rate from 80% to 20%, fewer amputations, more operations in CCS without too much blood loss
+Soldiers could get back to front line quicker
37
Medical development: mobile X-ray machines
| State the problem tackled, method and benefit
•Couldn't locate the fragments and bullets, lead to infection
-X-rays made surgery to remove shrapnel easier, they could find wherever they were
+Reduced death rate from infections, used in CCS and hospitals to find injury
*1914-15 only 2 mobile X-ray units in France but by 1916 in most hospitals and CCSs
38
Medical development: blood transfusions and storage of blood
| State the problem tackled, method and benefit
•Couldn’t store blood without it clotting
- With right blood types, could safely transfuse blood from one person to another
- Added citrate to stop the blood clotting
+More lives could be saved with blood transfusions
+Blood banks first used at Battle of Cambrai
39
Medical development: plastic surgery
| State the problem tackled, method and benefit
•Facial dysfunctions due to bad injuries
-Use skin graphs to restore previous appearance
+Could look unaffected by war and injury, go out in public without embarrassment
*Nov 1915 7 hospitals in France had specialist plastic surgery areas
40
Medical development: brain surgery
| State the problem tackled, method and benefit
•Severe wounds to the head
-Used rubber bands to apply pressure and then located and removed any bullets
+Many soldiers were kept alive and fit
41
Chain of evacuation: stretcher bearers (1)
•They carried wounded to RAP from front line
| -Only 16 medics per battalion, so was hard to help everyone
42
Chain of evacuation: regimental aid post (2)
•The RAP was near the front line
- Only 1 medic per battalion
- Only treated light wounds
43
Chain of evacuation: dressing station (3)
-Dressing stations were set in derelict buildings
•Serious cases were treated first
•Field ambulances were mobile medical support
•Triage was when serious wounds were sent to the CCS
44
Chain of evacuation: casualty clearing station (4)
```
•The CCS was the first large, well equipped station
•They provided x-rays, operations
•Treated up to 100 casualties
-7 doctors with staff worked there
-7 to 12 miles away from front line
```
45
Chain of evacuation: base hospital (5)
* Located several miles away from towns
* Soldiers arrived by train and barge ambulances
* Treated up to 2500 casualties
* Had specialist units (e.g. gas)
* When they left soldiers were sent for convalescence then returned to front line or sent home
46
Types of primary sources for follow up questions
- Diaries/letters of soldiers (useful for personal experience)
- CCS records (would record wounds, illnesses, treatments, deaths and recovery rates of patients)
- War office casualty lists (recorded numbers of missing, killed, wounded)
- Newspaper accounts of battle (would tell us what happened)
