Western front: 1914-1918

• The Ypres Salient: Germans had the advantage with being on the higher ground during the First World War.
• The Somme: Battle of the Somme resulted in 1" day of battle, 60,000 casualties and the use of tunnels by the British at Hill 60.
• The First Battle of Ypres took place in 1914.
• The Second Battle of Ypres took place in 1915 and put pressure on medical services on the Western Front.
• The Third Battle of Ypres took place in 1917.
• The Battle of Arras took place in 1917.
• The Battle of Cambrai took place in 1917 and included the use of tanks.
• No Man's Land: Land between Allied and German trenches in WW1.
• Trenches: Long, narrow ditches dug during the First World War.
• Ypres Salient: Area around Ypres where many battles took place in WW1.
• Helping the wounded on the Western Front involved an evacuation route where survival depended on the speed of treatment.
• Care improved as the war progressed, with 1914 having 0 motor ambulances but by 1915, there were 250.
• Ambulance trains and ambulance barges were used along the River Somme.
• Stretcher bearers collected the wounded, with 16 in each battalion and 4 for each stretcher.
• A Regimental Aid Post was always close to the front line and staffed by a Medical officer, selecting those who were lightly wounded or needed more attention.
• A Field Ambulance and Dressing Station provided emergency treatment for wounded.
• A Casualty Clearing Station was a large, well equipped station, 10 miles from the trenches.
• Base Hospitals had X-ray, operating theatre and areas to deal with gas poisoning.
• An underground hospital at Arras had running water, 700 beds and an operating theatre.
• The RAMC, or Royal Army Medical Corps, involved medical officers and learned about wounds never seen before.
• The FANY, or First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, were volunteer nurses who helped the wounded and also drove ambulances.