Weapons & Wounds

• Weapons and wounds of World War One are an important component of the course to understand the challenges of the medical services
• Both sides in World War One were dug into their trenches by the end of 1914 and were essentially evenly matched in defensive weapons and technology
• Defensive weapons and technology like machine guns and barbed wire had developed further than offensive attacking weapons like rifles and light machine guns
• The most common and basic infantry weapon in World War One was the bolt action rifle
• Machine guns in World War One could fire up to 600 bullets a minute, equivalent to 100 rifles
• Artillery was the biggest killer in World War One, causing almost half of all casualties
• Millions of shells were fired per battle in World War One, causing devastating effects
• Wounds caused by bullets and shrapnel in World War One were devastating
• High Velocity bullets and shrapnel caused terrible damage to the human body in World War One
• Gunshot wounds in World War One were referred to as GSWs (gunshot wounds)
• World War One rifles caused terrible damage to the human body, smashing bones and leaving holes within the body
• Being hit by a World War One bullet was a really bad day due to the damage caused
• Shrapnel in World War One could cause even worse damage than bullets
• Men hit in the legs by shrapnel in World War One had only a 20% survival rate due to blood loss and vital damage
• Effects of shrapnel injuries

  • Blood loss
  • Damage to vital organs
  • Shock
  • Infection
• In the First World War, 41,000 men in the British army had limbs amputated and sixty thousand men had facial injuries
• Steel helmets were introduced in 1916
• Some men lost noses, eyes, or even entire jaws to shrapnel
• Helmets might stop shrapnel if it has lost enough velocity, but they were not effective against bullets
• Gas was a horrifying aspect of World War I
• Types of deadly gas used in World War I

  • Chlorine gas
  • Phosgene
  • Mustard gas
• Chlorine gas suffocated people and caused acid to build up in the lungs
• Phosgene was the most deadly gas, causing the nerves to shut down
• Mustard gas caused horrible blisters on the skin and could even cause blindness
• Around five percent of all British deaths in World War I were due to gas
• Victims of chlorine and mustard gas could temporarily alleviate symptoms by urinating on a cloth and holding it over the mouth
• All armies developed increasingly effective gas masks to protect against gas attacks
• Gas masks were also available for horses
• Source: 'Ghast'
• The painting "Ghast" by John Singer Sergeant depicts a gas attack and was painted in 1919
• John Singer Sergeant was employed by the British government to depict scenes of the war
• The painting "Ghast" is representative of the conditions during the war, not a specific event
• The painting "Ghast" is useful for learning about the effects of gas and how the wounded were evacuated from the front
• The painting "Ghast" shows wounded men being evacuated in groups with assistance from those with sight
• The painting "Ghast" is based on realistic details observed by John Singer Sergeant during the war
• Inquiry topics

  • Gas attacks
  • Health problems in the trenches
  • Dangers from artillery
  • Dangers from infection in wounds
• Soldiers of the East Yorkshire regiment having their feet inspected by their medical officer near Rodenko on the 9th of January 1918
• Trench looks to be in fairly good condition with duck boards above the mud to keep soldiers' feet dry
• Gas gangrene found amongst wounded soldiers is directly due to the infection introduced at the time of the wound
• Gas gangrene can occur if muddy clothing has been carried by the projectile or if Earth has been carried by the explosion