Injuries + Illness

• What were the 3 main illnesses in the WF?

  1. Trench Foot
  2. Trench Fever
  3. Shell Shock
• What is trench foot caused by?

  The prolonged exposure to damp and wet water/mud.
• What could trench foot lead to?


  Amputation - only if gangrene developed
• What were the methods of preventing trench foot?

  • Rubbing whale oil into feet
  • Keeping feet dry
  • Regularly changing socks
• What were the symptoms of trench fever?


  Flu like symptoms
• How many people were affected by trench fever?

  About half a million men on the WF
• When and what was trench fever caused by?

  By 1918, realised it was caused by lice
• What was set up after 1918 to prevent trench fever?

  Delousing stations
• What are symptoms of shell shock?

  • Tiredness
  • Headaches
  • Loss of Speech
  • Shaking
  • Mental Breakdowns
• How many British troops experienced shell shock?


  Approximately 80,000 troops.
• Describe 2 features of ill health among soldiers that arose from the trench environment. (4 marks)

  1. Soldiers often developed trench foot since they had to stand in cold and wet mud/water
  2. Many men became infested with lice and developed trench fever, as it was difficult to keep clothes clean
• What are the 3 different gas attacks?

  • Chlorine Gas
  • Phosgene Gas
  • Mustard Gas
• Describe two features of blood transfusions on the Western Front during WW1.

  1. They were carried out using a syringe and tube whilst the blood donor was present. This stopped the patient from going into shock from blood loss
  2. Before the Battle of Cambria in 1917, a blood depot was setup. This showed the army developed new ways of coping with large numbers of casualties on the Western Front