chain of evacuation

• what does RAMC stand for?

  royal army medical corps
• the RAMC was made up of doctors, ambulance drivers and stretcher bearers. they performed operations at casualty clearing stations and base hospitals.
• what does FANY stand for?

  first aid nursing yeomanry
• the FANY was made up of all female volunteers who drove ambulances and supplies , set up cinemas and provided baths to boost the morale of injured soldiers.
• field ambulances were a unit of the RAMC that worked at dressing stations and could treat 150 soldiers at a time.
• the underground hospital at Arras was a fully working hospital for 700 soldiers in 800m of tunnels under the town of Arras. it was close to the frontline and piped water.
• what was the order of the chain of evacuation?

  stretcher bearers, regimental aid post, dressing station, casualty clearing station, base hospitals
• stretcher bearers rescued soldiers from the frontline and transported soldiers to the right part of the chain of evacuation depending on the severity of their injuries. they carried basic supplies such as bandages and morphine.
• what supplies did stretcher bearers carry?

  bandages and morphine
• where was the regimental aid post located?

  within 200m of the frontline in communication trenches or abandoned buildings
• what was the RAP made up of?

  regimental aid officers and stretcher bearers
• the RAP gave immediate medical attention for minor injuries but could not deal with serious injuries.
• where were dressing stations located?

  in abandoned buildings, dugouts or bunkers but could be in tents
• what was the dressing station made up of?

  10 medical orderlies and stretcher bearers from the RAMC. from 1915 there was some nurse available
• where were CCSs located?

  in buildings such as factories and schools close to railway lines so they could transport out serious casualties
• what did the CCS specialise in?

  operating on critical injuries such as chest wounds
• what three groups were soldiers split into in CCS?

  walking wounded, those who needed hospital treatment, those who would not recover
• where were base hospitals located?

  near French and Belgian coastal ports so injured could get transported home.
• over time base hospitals became responsible for continuing treatments that had begun at casualty clearing stations.
• in base hospitals doctors experimented with new techniques such as dividing up patients into different wards e.g head wounds and chest wounds so doctors could become experts in their treatment