Western Front: treatment of the wounded

Question 1

What organisation was responsible for medical care on the Western Front?

Answer 1

The RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps)

Question 2

How many men did the RAMC have in 1914?

Answer 2

9,000

Question 3

How many men did the RAMC have by 1918?

Answer 3

113,000

Question 4

How was the RAMC able to recruit more doctors during the war?

Answer 4

It raised the age at which doctors could serve abroad to 45

Question 5

What process of looking after the wounded did the RAMC run on the Western Front?

Answer 5

The chain of evacuation

Question 6

What was the main body of military nurses in 1914 called?

Answer 6

The Queen Alexandra’s nurses

Question 7

How many Queen Alexandra’s Nurses were there by the end of the First World War?

Answer 7

10,000

Question 8

Give three examples of jobs nurses would do to support the British army

Answer 8

Any three from:

Professional nursing in operating theatres

Scrubbing floors

Cooking

Washing clothes

Repairing broken-down motor vehicles

Question 9

Who were the VADs on the Western Front?

Answer 9

Volunteer Aid Detachment: middle- and upper-class nurses

Question 10

How did nurses use their ambulances on the Western Front?

Answer 10

They took food and spare clothes to the front line

Question 11

In what year did Britain start recruiting volunteer nurses?

Answer 11

1916

Question 12

What was the name of the motorised bath vehicle with ten collapsible baths used by nurses?

Answer 12

James

Question 13

How many men per hour could have a bath in the nurses’ mobile bath vehicle?

Answer 13

40

Question 14

How many stretcher bearers were there per battalion of 1,000 soldiers on the Western Front?

Answer 14

16 stretcher bearers

Question 15

How many stretcher bearers were needed to carry a stretcher?

Answer 15

Four (6-8 in the mud)

Question 16

What problems did stretcher bearers have to deal with when rescuing the wounded?

Answer 16

Heavy gun fire, mud, shell-craters and twisting trenches

Question 17

What medical care was offered by stretcher bearers?

Answer 17

Bandages and basic pain relief

Question 18

Where would stretcher bearers take the wounded?

Answer 18

The Regimental Aid Post (RAP)

Question 19

How far was the RAP behind the front line?

Answer 19

No more than 200 metres

Question 20

What role did the battalion regimental medical officer play at the RAP?

Answer 20

They distinguished between the lightly wounded and those needing more medical attention

Question 21

How advanced was the medical treatment at the RAP?

Answer 21

Very basic - dressings, biscuits for sugar, brandy to warm up the patient, morphine for pain relief

Question 22

What was set up in the Field Ambulance to receive the wounded from the RAP?

Answer 22

Dressing Stations

Question 23

Where were dressing stations often located?

Answer 23

In tents or disused buildings

Question 24

What process took place at the dressing stations, and what was this?

Answer 24

Triage - sorting the wounded into groups according to who needed the most urgent attention

Question 25

How far were the dressing stations from the front line?

Answer 25

Between 1/4 of a mile and one mile

Question 26

Where were serious cases taken after the dressing stations?

Answer 26

The Casualty Clearing Stations

Question 27

How far away was the Casualty Clearing Station from the front line?

Answer 27

7-12 miles

Question 28

How many doctors would be at the typical Casualty Clearing Station?

Answer 28

Seven

Question 29

Give THREE examples of facilities available at a Casualty Clearing Station

Answer 29

Any three from: Operating theatres Mobile X-ray machines Beds for 50 men Kitchens Toilet blocks

Question 30

How many casualties at a time could a Casualty Clearing Station deal with?

Answer 30

1,000

Question 31

Where were wounded soldiers taken after the Casualty Clearing Station?

Answer 31

The Base Hospital

Question 32

Where were Base Hospitals often located near and why?

Answer 32

Railways - patients could arrive by train

Question 33

How many patients could base hospitals take at a time by 1918?

Answer 33

2,500

Question 34

Give THREE examples of facilities found at a base hospital

Answer 34

Any three from: Operating theatres Laboratories for identifying infections X-ray departments Specialist centres for treating victims of gas poisoning

Question 35

Where were most patients sent from the Base Hospital?

Answer 35

Back to England

Question 36

What was the overall aim of the chain of evacuation?

Answer 36

To ensure as many soldiers as possible could return to the front line having passed only as far down the chain of evacuation as necessary