Medicine on the British sector of the Western Front, 1914-1918The British on the Western Front

World War One was fought on two fronts - the Eastern Front and the Western Front. The British army’s British Expeditionary Force fought alongside the country’s allies on the Western Front. The British sector of the Western Front stretched through Belgium and northern France for 90 miles (150 kilometres).

The British sector of the Western Front

The British army fought in four key locations on the Western Front. The different terrain at each location had an impact on the injuries and treatment soldiers experienced.

Ypres

Several battles took place surrounding the town of Ypres in Belgium. These battles lasted for months. Fighting took place here because:

• It was on route to the channel ports of Calais and Dunkirk. The British needed to defend this route and ensure that the troops could still receive supplies (eg equipment and food) and reinforcements of men.
• It was a vulnerable area of British occupation. The Germans were on the higher ground so they were able to see the British defences and movement of troops.

The terrain at Ypres included heavy soil, which was easily waterlogged and flooded. This presented problems for stretcher bearers when they needed to remove the wounded from the battlefields. It was difficult to move on foot through wet and muddy ground.

Poisonous gas was first used by the Germans during the Second Battle of Ypres, in 1915. This new feature of warfare presented the medical services with new injuries and challenges.

Somme

The Battle of the Somme, near the River Somme in France, is the most notorious battle of World War One. More men died on the first day than in any other battle before or since. The British casualty figure was incredibly high. Britain suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, 20,000 of which died on the first day of the battle. The battle lasted from July to November 1916 and there were nearly 400,000 British casualties in total.

The high number of casualties led to the medical services needing to work quickly and under pressure. Small numbers of tanks were used for the first time during this battle, but they were not very successful. However, the use of tanks created uneven ground, which made it difficult for the wounded to be transported for treatment after the battle.

Arras

The Battle of Arras took place in 1917. Before this battle, soldiers from Britain and New Zealand dug a network of tunnels in the chalky ground. They added rooms and fitted them with running water and electricity. These tunnels were used as accommodation for the soldiers. An underground hospital was added with operating theatres. The tunnels were also used to shelter the soldiers during the fighting.

Cambrai

The Battle of Cambrai took place in late 1917. Tanks were used during the attack after being used on a smaller scale during the Battle of the Somme. The British forces used over 450 tanks. Initially, the attack on the Germans was effective. However, the tanks did not have enough infantry support and could not defend the area. The consequence was that the British lost almost all of the ground that they had taken.

Problems in treating the wounded

These key locations presented the following problems in the treatment of soldiers on the Western Front:

• Constant dropping of bombs left craters and holes that made the movement and transportation of injured soldiers difficult.
• Bacteriain the soil led to many infected wounds.
• Stretcher bearers needed to work day and night, but they were not always able to see their route clearly and were sometimes trying to move during fighting.
• Ambulances, which were motorised or horse drawn, found it difficult to move in the mud. This led to soldiers being left injured for days before their rescue.
• High casualty rates during battles slowed down medical treatment.