What was the Western Front?
The main line of fighting in France and Belgium during WW1.
What were trenches?
Long narrow ditches where soldiers lived and fought.
What was “no man’s land”?
The area between opposing trenches.
Name one condition that caused illness in the trenches.
Mud, cold, rats, lice or contaminated water.
What was trench foot?
Painful swelling and rotting of feet caused by standing in cold, wet mud.
How was trench foot prevented?
Whale oil, spare socks, drainage improvements.
What was trench fever?
Flu-like illness spread by lice.
How was trench fever reduced?
Disinfecting clothing, delousing stations.
What was shell shock?
Mental breakdown from constant shelling and trauma.
How was shell shock treated?
Rest, hospitals, sometimes accused as cowardice.
What were the main types of wounds from fighting?
Gunshot wounds, shell fragments, shrapnel.
Why were head injuries common?
Soldiers exposed above trenches; steel helmets only introduced in 1915.
What was gas gangrene?
Deadly infection from bacteria in soil entering wounds.
Which has caused blistering to skin and lungs?
Mustard gas.
Which gases caused choking and suffocation?
Chlorine and phosgene.
What was the RAMC?
Royal Army Medical Corps, provided medical services.
What was the role of FANY?
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, supported ambulance and medical work.
What were stretcher bearers?
Soldiers who carried the wounded off the battlefield.
What were the Regimental Aid Posts (RAPs)?
First point of treatment close to the front line.
What were dressing stations?
Places in abandoned buildings or tents for more advanced treatment.
What were Casualty Clearing Stations (CCSs)?
Large medical units near the front for serious cases.
What were Base Hospitals?
Permanent hospitals further back from the front.
What was the Chain of Evacuation?
The system of moving wounded from RAP-> Dressing Station-> CCS -> Base Hospital.
Why was transporting the wounded difficult?
Mud, shellfire, lack of roads, stretcher carrying.
