Wounds from Injuries on the Western Front (Edexcel GCSE History)

The Nature of Wounds in WWI - Summary

Wounds from Rifles & Explosives

Bullets

• A case study of 200,000 injured showed that bullets were responsible for 39% of wounds at the Western Front:

  • Bullets pierced organs and fractured bones due their pointed tips

  • Rifles were accurate up to 500 meters

  • A three-man crew was usually used to fire, reload and move the guns

  • They could fire 450 bullets per minute

  • Magazine-fed rifles were the standard weapons used by soldiers during the First World War

  • Machine guns were less common. They were used to fire on soldiers as they entered no-man's-land

Explosions

• A case study of 200,000 injured showed that explosions from artillery shells and shrapnel were responsible for 58% of wounds:

  • Limbs like arms and legs were particularly vulnerable

• High-explosive shells from artillery could kill soldiers instantly

Shrapnel, Wound Infection & Head Injuries

Shrapnel

• Explosions from shells scattered out smaller pieces of metal called shrapnel

• Shells were also filled with steel balls or lead to cause maximum casualties

  • Over 41,000 soldiers had limbs amputated due to injuries caused by shells

• It was most effective against troops in no-man’s-land, where soldiers could not take cover

Wound infection

• Shrapnel or bullets penetrated the body. They carried with them fabric from a soldier’s uniform which was often soiled and muddy:

  • Fertiliser in the soil contained bacteria which caused infections like tetanus and gas gangrene

    • Anti-tetanus injections reduced the impact of tetanus

    • There was no cure for gas gangrene and it could often kill a person within a day

  • One British surgeon commented:

Head injuries

• At the start of the war, British soldiers wore non-metal headgear called a soft cap:

  • There were a large number of head injuries which prompted a change

• The introduction of ‘Brodie’ helmets in 1915 helped to protect soldiers from head injuries:

Features of the Brodie helmet

Effects of Gas Attacks

• Gas attacks caused great psychological fear to British soldiers on the Western Front

  • Poems like Wilfred Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum EST depict the chaos caused by gas attacks:

• Gas attacks only caused around 6,000 British deaths (fewer than 5%)

  • Short-term symptoms like blindness, loss of taste and coughing usually only lasted for a few weeks

  • At first soldiers initially used urine, soaked cotton pads to place around their mouths. This helped to stop chlorine gas from entering their lungs

  • Gas masks issued in July 1915 prevented many deaths

Types of gas used on the Western Front