Context of the Western Front

• Give the order of the battles from 1914-1918 in the First World War

  August 4th 1914 - WW1 begins

  October 1914 - First Battle of Ypres

  April & May 1915 - Second Battle of Ypres

  July 1916 - The Battle of the Somme

  April 1917 - The Battle of Arras

  July 1917 - The Third Battle of Ypres

  October 1917 - The Battle of Cambrai

  November 1918 - WW1 ends
• Why did WW1 begin?

  Britain goes to war with Germany to protect Belgium from a German invasion, and to reinforce France as an ally.
• Describe the events of the First Battle of Ypres

  The BEF (British Expeditionary Force) moves to Ypres to prevent German advance across the coast. German forces launch an attack in October 1914 in which the British win, however there was a loss of 50,000 soldiers and German forces still surrounded Ypres.
• What was the medical development from the First Battle of Ypres?

  Doctors learnt more about the impact of weapons such as bullet wounds, shrapnel and artillery.
• Describe the events of the Second Battle of Ypres

  Battle for Hill 60. Britain used offensive mining and Germany attacked Ypres again using chlorine gas for the first time. Britain lost 59,000 soldiers and Germany moved 2 miles closer.
• What was the development of the Second Battle of Ypres?

  Gas masks were developed.
• Describe the events of the Battle of the Somme

  British attacked the River Somme after Germany attacked Verdun. There was a loss of 20,000 British troops on day 1. Britain tried to use tanks for the first time but they were unsuccessful and by the end of November the British had lost 400,000 soldiers
• What was the medical development of the Battle of the Somme

  Photographs of injuries sustained during the battle allowed plastic surgeons to perfect their techniques.
• Describe the events of the Battle of Arras

  The chalky landscape allowed British to make a network of tunnels. This is where they created an underground hospital with 700 stretcher beds, running water and electricity. The British gained 80 miles of territory.
• What was the medical development of the Battle of Arras?

  The location of a fully functioning hospital
• Describe the events of the Third Battle of Ypres

  Constant rainfall caused the ground to become waterlogged. The British lost 245,00 soldiers. Despite only gaining 7 miles of territory, Haig considered it a success
• Describe the events of the Battle of Cambrai

  Featured the first large-scale use of tanks. There were 450 British tanks that could move over barbed wire and had machine guns. However land taken by the British was quickly reclaimed by the Germans
• What was the medical development of the Battle of Cambrai?

  Robertson stored 22 units of universal donor blood which saved 11 soldiers, this was the 1st time stored blood was used to treat soldiers