western front + ww1

• when was world war 1?

  1914-18
• what were the conditions like in the trenches?

  muddy, rats, lice, lots of trench foot
• give three features of the layout of trenches

  the communications trench (ran between other trenches), trenches built in zig-zag pattern (decrease impact of bombs that may fall in), dugouts (where men could take cover if needed)
• when was the first battle of ypres?

  1914
• how many casualties were there?

  50,000
• when was the second battle of ypres?

  1915
• what did the germans use for the first time during the battle?

  chlorine gas
• when was the battle of the somme?

  1916
• why was the battle inaffective?

  german trenches hard to bombard
• when was the battle of arras?

  1917
• whay took place during this battle?


  british dug underground tunnel networks with hospitals for shelter
• when was the battle of cambrai?

  1917
• when did the british use for the first time?

  tanks
• why were these tanks effective?

  they were able to cut barbed wire and had effective machine gun fire
• who's ideas were used during surgery?

  listers (carbolic acid for sterilisation)
• name two problems with the x-rays

  exposure to high levels of radiation for a long time, machines were large and hard to manoeuvre
• what were common problems with blood transfusions in the 19th century?

  couldn't store the blood, had not understood blood groups yet
• when were blood groups discovered and who by?

  1901 by Karl Landsteiner
• why did stretcher bearers struggle in the conditions?

  they were exposed to gunfire and sometimes up to eight men were need to carry one wounded
• why did horse drawn ambulances struggle?

  couldn't cope with number of casualties and struggled on the terrain
• what was trenchfoot?

  painful swelling and gangrene in the feet due to standing in water and mud for a long period of time
• how was french foot cared for?

  whale oil rubbed on feet, drying stations, amputation
• what was french fever?

  flu-like illness which affected over one million men
• what caused french fever?

  lice on clothing
• how did they combat trench fever?

  delousing stations
• what was shellshock?

  ptsd
• how many soldiers experieced it?

  approx 80,000
• why did the gov try to hide shellshock?

  did not want to lower moral of the people
• give one fact about artillery

  caused 50% of the casualties
• give one fact about gas attacks

  suffocated advancing soldiers and caused 6000 deaths
• give one fact about riffles

  sharpened bullets that would drive deeper into body
• what was the order in which soldiers were evacuated?

  stretcher bearers, regimental aid post, dressing stations, casualty clearing stations
• describe regimental aid posts

  was within 200m of frontline and didn't deal with serious injuries
• describe dressing stations


  often located in abandoned buildings and could tend to men for up to a week
• describe casualty clearing stations


  operated on most serious injuries, triage system (walking wounded, hospital treatment, no chance of recovery)
• what was the RAMC (royal army medical corps)?

  responsible for all medical care
• what was the FANY (first aid nursing yeomanry)?

  drove ambulances, first to send women to the front
• what was the VAD (voluntary aid detachment)

  volunteer nurses
• how many men were amputated on?

  240,000
• what was the thomas splint?

  a structure to hold the leg and reduce blood loss