The British Sector of the Western Front, 1914-18

• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - First battle of Ypres 1914 - Germans launched an attack on the east and north-east of Ypres (town where the British ports were)
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - First battle of Ypres 1914 - Germans had the high ground, improved visibility and defensive positions, allowing them to better observe and control the battlefield during the engagement, Hill was known as Hill 60
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - First battle of Ypres 1914 - The British used tunnelling and mines, dug tunnels beneath Hill 60 and successfully planted explosives, enabling them to create a controlled detonation that disrupted the enemy's defences and provided a strategic edge in the conflict
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - The Battle of the Somme 1916 - 1 st day of battle, 60,000 casualties and 20,000 died, In total, 400,000 Allied casualties and this put pressure on medical services on the Western Front, The extensive and prolonged conflict, which lasted from July 1 to November 18, 1916, resulted in a staggering number of casualties, making it one of the most devastating engagements for British forces during the war
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - The Battle of the Somme 1916 - The Battle of the Somme is historically significant as it marked the first use of tanks by the British military, Introduced on September 15, 1916, during the later stages of the battle, demonstrated the potential of armoured vehicles on the battlefield but had many issues like: communication, vulnerability to artillery, limited numbers and mechanical issues
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - The Battle of the Somme 1916 - first use of the creeping barrage, artillery bombardment that moved towards German trenches in front of infantry troops, required communication providing cover and suppressing enemy positions as the soldiers advanced across the battlefield
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - The battle of Arras 1917 - over 2.5 miles of tunnels built in 5 months under Arras, could shelter 25,000 men and contained accommodation, a small railway, water, electricity and a fully functional hospital
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - The battle of Arras 1917 - Initially the attack in April 1917 was a success as the British advanced 8 miles into enemy territory. However, by May 1917 the attack had virtually stopped with the Allies suffering 160,000 casualties
• WF: MEDICAL PROGRESS UP UNTIL WW1 - x rays -  discovered by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895, He realised that the rays could pass through paper, wood and human flesh but not through metal or bone, before x-rays surgeons had to look for shrapnel by hand causing infection but x-ray machines meant aseptic surgery became more effective as surgeons did not have to touch the wound to find it, problems - radiation wasn't properly understood so patients could lose hair or suffer burns (x1500 more powerful than today), fragile (glass tubes), slow (90 minutes to complete), big and immovable
• WF: MEDICAL PROGRESS UP UNTIL WW1 - Blood transfusion - surgical operations became more complex so blood loss became a bigger problem, blood loss caused shock and death, Jmaes Bundell discovered blood transfusion and Karl Landsteiner discovered blood types 1901, first successful blood transfusion 1818 by Bundell, main problem was blood could not be stored so the recipient and the donor had to connected directly otherwise blood would clot
• WF: MEDICAL PROGRESS UP UNTIL WW1 - Aseptic surgery - surgery completely free of bacteria, all medical staff had to washt heir hands arms and face, wear gloves and scrubs, the air in the operating theatre had to be pumped over a heating system to kill germs (first developed by Gustav Neuber and Ernest Von Bergmann), medical instruments sterilised with autoclave, stopped amputations
• WF: PROBLEMS WITH TREATING THE WOUNDED - constant dropping of bombs meant difficult terrain to transport the wounded
• WF: PROBLEMS WITH TREATING THE WOUNDED - bacteria and chemicals in the soil from fertiliser, fighting usually in countryside, farmland areas
• WF: PROBLEMS WITH TREATING THE WOUNDED - stretcher bearers worked day and night over difficult terrain, difficult to see at night, moving during the fighting
• WF: PROBLEMS WITH TREATING THE WOUNDED - ambulances stopped by difficult terrain
• WF: PROBLEMS WITH TREATING THE WOUNDED - high casualty rates slowed down treatment
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - instead of retreating the allies and enemies built lines of trenches from french and belgium coast of the English channel to protect the position they had claimed, built in a zigzag pattern to prevent the enemy from being able to see or fire directly along the trench line, narrow and often blocked to led to problems when needing to move the wounded
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - front line trench - closest to the enemy, where men would fire across No man’s land at the enemy
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - communication trench - connected different lines of trenches, used to move between trenches
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - support trench - bug behind front line trenches, where soldiers would retreat if under attack
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - reserves trenches - dug behind support trenches, where solider would prepare for a counter attack
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - No Man’s Land - stretch of land between Allied and German trenches
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - dugout - dug into the side of trenches, used for protection and rest
• WF: THE TRENCH SYSTEM - One feature of the trenches was that they had features to protect them from the enemy. For example the trenches were not built in straight lines, this was because if your trench was a straight line and the enemy had a successful offensive and got into your trench, they could shoot straight along the line. Trenches were not built straight, to prevent that from happening.
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - One feature of trench foot, is what caused it, which was the cold and unsanitary conditions the soldiers would stand i  for hours, without being able to remove their socks or boots. Another feature of trench foot, is the symptoms it caused. Soldiers feet would go numb, and the skin would turn red or blue, it could lead to leg cramps,blisters and ulcers and then if left untreated could lead to gangrene, and the foot would be amputated
• • WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - trench foot - caused by standing in water logged conditions for long periods, symptoms - swollen feet, blistering blue or red colour, worsened if boots were tight and wet sock unable to be changed, led to gangrene and amputation, prevention - change socks 2x a day, rub whale oil to stop moisture, mechanical pumps to stop trenches flooding, soldier unfit to fight
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - One feature of the attempt to prevent trench foot, is what the soldiers would do to themselves, this included whale oil to try and protect the soldiers feet, spare socks and rubber boots that extended above the thighs, to try to keep the feet as dry as possible. Another feature of the attempt to prevent trench foot was what was implemented into the trenches themselves, pumps were used to drain the water from the trenches, and duckboards were added to keep soldiers feet above the water in the trenches.
• • WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - trench fever - spread by lice which lived in the seams of clothing and blankets (overcrowded conditions meant they thrived), symptoms - severe headaches, shivering and joint pain, prevention - clothing and bedding disinfected, bathhouses built, louse repellent gel given to some soldiers, hand picking lice out of clothing, running a lit match down clothing seams, not fit to fight
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - One feature of trench fever was what caused it, which by 1918, was linked to contact with body lice in the trenches. In order to combat the number of cases, delousing stations were set up, and after this there was a decline in the number of cases. Another feature of trench fever was its symptoms, which were flu-like, with high temperatures, headaches and aching muscles. The symptoms could last for months and could keep recurring.
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - One feature of the attempt to prevent trench fever, was the discovery of what caused it. This was found in 1918, when the illness was linked to contact with body lice in the trenches, finding out the cause was the first step in preventing it. Another feature of the attempt to prevent trench fever was the delousing stations that were set up in the trenches, to try to reduce the number of soldiers getting the illness. Subsequently, after these stations were set up the number of cases decreased.   
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - shell shock - psychological reaction to the war, little understood so soldiers were often accused of cowardice, symptoms: tiredness, blindness, hearing loss, shaking and mental breakdowns, treatment was rest and food, 80000 recorded cases in British army, today symptoms would be recognised as PTSD
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - weapons, rifles and machine guns - rapid fire weapons, forced bullets deep into the body, high casualties across No Man’s land, caused gunshot wounds, bruises, fractured bones and organ damage
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - weapons, artillery - large fixed guns, caused half of all casualties in WW1
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - weapons, shrapnel shells - exploded leading to fragments of metal penetrating deep into the body, responsible for 88% of explosive wounds, lead to Dr Harold Gillies to make advancements in plastic surgery as he treated serious face injuries after the war at Queen Mary’s hospital in Sidcup (developed tube pedicle which made skin grafting and facial reconstruction more effective)
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - Head injuries - Dr Harvey Cushing developed brain surgery when by using x-rays to locate shrapnel in the brain and drawing it out using magnets, efforts limited by slow evacuation on the Western Front and lack of brain imaging
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - At the start of the war the headgear worn by soldiers was soft and offered little protection, but in 1915, the brodie helmet was introduced. It was made of metal and had a strap to prevent it falling off. It was distributed to all soldiers and it reduced fatal head wounds by 80% Mostly caused by shrapnel.
• WF: TRENCHES ON THE WESTERN FRONT - One feature of the trenches was that they could become very wet and muddy, as there was little drainage to get rid of the water. This led to problems, such as trench foot, as people's feet were constantly numb and swollen. This could eventually lead to gangrene. Another feature of the trenches was that they were very crowded and there were few chances for people to wash themselves or their clothes. This meant there were many lice, which spread from person to person and passed on trench fever where people became very ill, with flu-like symptoms.
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - infections

  A) fertilisers

  B) bacteria

  C) latrines

  D) contaminated

  E) stretcher bearers

  F) amputation

  G) soaking

  H) carbolic lotion

  I) tetanus, gas gangrene and sepsis

  
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - infections - One feature of wound infections is how they were obtained. The soil on the Western Front contained tetanus and gas gangrene bacteria. These would enter wounds either during attack or when victims were lying on the  ground before being collected.
• WF: ILLNESS AND INJURIES - gas attacks, chlorine gas - 1915, ‘killing agent’ which slowly suffocated victims, Before gas masks the soldiers soaked cotton pads in urine and pressed them to their faces to stop gas entering their lungs, In July 1915 all British troops were given gas masks, which were more protective and resulted in less casualties.