Chain of evacuation

• What was the chain of evacuation ?


  There was a chain of evacuation to get the wounded from the frontline to a safe treatment area. The main stages were not always followed in the same order for every casualty.
• What was the first stage in the chain of evacuation?


  Regimental aid post (RAP)

  • Gave immediate first aid
  • Aimed to get as many men as possible back to the fighting
  • Could not deal with serious injuries-these patients were moved onto the next stage
  • Usually located near the frontline, in communication trenches or abandoned buildings
• What was the 2nd stage of the chain of evacuation?


  Dressing Stations(ADS and MDS)

  • Dealt with more serious injuries
  • Located in abandoned buildings, bunkers or tents
  • In theory, there should have been an Advanced Dressing Station with a Main Dressing Station half a mile behind, but often this wasn't the case
  • Staff at the Dressing Stations belonged to a unit of the RAMC called the Field Ambulance
• What was the 3rd stage in the chain of evacuation?


  Casualty Clearing Stations (CCS)

  • Often dealt with critical injuries
  • Set up in buildings such as factories and schools, often near a railway line
  • Triage system-men were divided into 3 groups: -Walking wounded- patched up and sent back to fighting -Those needed hospital treatment- transferred to base hospital -Those who had no chance of survival were made comfortable, but medical resources were not spent on them
• What was the 4th stage of the chain of evacuation?


  Base Hospital

  • Located near the coast so wounded men could be shipped back to Britain
  • As the war went on, CCSs did more of the jobs originally intended for base hospitals
  • Divided patients up into different wards according to their wound. This allowed doctors to experiment and specialise in particular injuries
  • In 1918, the Germans launched a last-ditch offensive which threatened the CCSs, so much of the surgery was once again carried out in the base hospital