The British Sector of the Western Front (1914-1918)

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  • Conditions in the trenches
    • Illnesses in  the trenches
      • The soldiers suffered from frostbites.
        • This was because the weather was very harsh and cold - especially in the winter of 1916-1917.
      • Soldiers suffered from something called 'trench foot' where the skin and the tissue on the feet broke down.
        • It was caused by standing on the waterlogged trenches for too long.
          • It had the potential to become gangrenous (infected) - so doctors would perform amputations to stop the infections from spreading to other parts of the body.
          • By 1915, there were fewer cases of trench foot because the soldiers frequently changed their socks and also put whale oil on their boots to make it waterproof.
      • The soldiers also suffered from trench fever.
        • The trenches were full of vermin (such as lice) and they spread the trench fever. Also, since the trenches were very closely packed, the lice could easily be spread and this continued to spread trench fever.
      • Dysentery was caused due to a type of bacteria inflaming the intestines. Dysentery caused diarrhea and dehyration.
        • The dirty water and the unhygienic latrines helped the disease spread more.
    • The conditions in the trenches were very unsanitary, waterlogged and very packed.
  • Till then,  they were at a risk of getting their open wounds infected. They would get infections such as tetanus, gas gangrene or even get sepsis.
    • Gas gangrene was caused by a bacteria that would  essentially create sort of 'blisters' with gas inside it - and that gas was damaging for cells and tissue.
    • Tetanus was were the bacteria caused sever muscle spasms and they were fatal.
    • Sepsis was were bacterial infections would spread across the whole body via the bloodstream.
  • The Battle of Somme (1916)
    • Battles
      • The Battle of Arras and the Battle of  Passchendale(1917)
        • In 1917, mines were used to break through the enemy line.
        • In 1917, more medical posts were set up to prepare for the casualties before the Ypres Salient.
          • A Salient is where one side's line pushes into the other side's lines. Their territory gets surrounded by the enemy on three sides.
            • During the Third Battle of Ypres (July - November 1917), there were over 200,000 casualties. This time, there were more 379 Medical Officers, so many men were treated earlier than those of the Somme.
              • The Third Battle of Ypres is also known as the Battle of Passchendale
                • The key feature of the Battle of Passchendale is that it was VERY muddy.
        • The army tried to also improve the medical care after the Somme overwhelmed the medical staff.
        • The aim was to avoid losses like those at the Somme - by making it easier for the infantry to attack the enemy trenches.
      • The Battle of Cambrai (1917)
        • By April 1917, the Germans retreated to the Hindenburg line.
        • The key feature of the Battle of Cambrai is that tanks were used.
        • The Allies broke its defences with tanks, but they lost this ground again later. There were about 45,000 British casualties.
    • On July 1916, the british tried to break through the German line in an area called the Somme.
    • On the first day of the Battle of Some, there was almost 60,000 British casualties and 20,000 of them were killed.
      • There were only 174 medical officers treating thousands of serious causalities in the fist week of the battle.
    • Many men died because they had to wait days before being treated.
  • During the Third Battle of Ypres (July - November 1917), there were over 200,000 casualties. This time, there were more 379 Medical Officers, so many men were treated earlier than those of the Somme.
    • The Third Battle of Ypres is also known as the Battle of Passchendale
      • The key feature of the Battle of Passchendale is that it was VERY muddy.
  • Trenches were dug down into the ground and the top parts of the trenches were covered with sandbags.
    • The design of the Trenches
      • Fire trenches has a fire step held back a wooden plank. men would stand on there and fire their rifels into no mans land. they were protected by bulletproof parapets.
      • Parapets were built on the front side of the trench. it was made of sandbags. it was made to protect soldiers on the front line from getting shot from an emeny infatry in no mans liand.
      • Parados were built at the back of the trenches. ti was made of sandbags so that the soldiers could be protected from any shell explosions.
    • The trenches were designed in a way to protect the soldiers from enemy attacks
      • Barbed wire was used at the front of the trench so it can make it harder for enemy infantry to attack head to head.
  • In 1915, Alexis Carrel ad Henry Dakin found a new antiseptic solution that could be flushed into the wounds before closure.
    • This new method helped men from having an amputation because it stopped infections from spreading.
      • Antoine Depage developed a better way of treating wounds. he treated every wound as if it was infected.
        • He said that you should first remove any pieces of shrapnel or clothing from the wound. them you should try and remove any damaged tissue. then you should wash the wound with an antiseptic and this way the chances of having an infection decreased.
  • He used Carrel and Dakin's antiseptic solution to treat the wounds.
    • He said that you should first remove any pieces of shrapnel or clothing from the wound. them you should try and remove any damaged tissue. then you should wash the wound with an antiseptic and this way the chances of having an infection decreased.
  • At the start of the war 80% of the men who suffered a broken femur died but a surgeon called Robert Jones treated this injury using the Thomas splint.
    • Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x rays in 1895 and during the war, hospitals used x ray machines to find broken bones and shrapnel.
      • X rays helped improve aseptic surgery because the doctors didn't have to touch the found in order to find where the pieces of shrapnel were.
    • The Thomas splint was strapped around the broken leg before the wounded soldier was moved. this stopped the leg from moving so that it was protected from more damage. By 1915, 20% of the soldiers with this kind of injury died.
  • The womeen of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Corps were trained in first aid, veterinary skills, signaling and driving.
    • They mainly worked as a field ambulance, moving wounded men between base hospitals, medical posts, trains, barges and hospital ships.
      • The FANY also ran a mobile soup kitchen and a mobile bathing vehicle, stafffed hospitals and hospital canteens.

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