Hospitals during World War I

Possibly the worst conflict in human history, during World War I (1914- 1918) there were no families not affected by the end of the First World War. The 38 million casualties in Great Britain and a further 17 million deaths not only the military but also civilians. As you can imagine many, many hospitals were needed to treat the wounded and the people also effected mentally. As a result most manor houses became military hospitals and bases.

Not only were there hospitals based just behind the Frontline in France and Belgium, there were also hospitals based in England. There were manor house hospital bases such as Kentwell Hall but generally original hospitals were used such as the one at Birmingham University.

If a soldier was wounded or caught a disease in the Frontline trenches then depending on the severity of the injury they stranded a chance of survival but there was little chance for survival for those who were shot down in the charge across No Man's Land because they would probably be trampled to death. Although there were some soldiers rescued by stretcher bearers. Common diseases for soldiers to contract were influenza, cholera and typhoid. A medical condition that many soldiers suffered from was 'Trench Foot'. Trench Foot is when your feet start to rot because of the vile and unhygienic conditions of the damp trenches. It is contracted when you stand in cold water for hours on end; sadly Trench Foot usually led to the dangerous and life threatening infection- gangrene.

Because battles led to the loss of many men, the wounded would be escorted to hospitals and places were they could receive the correct medical treatment by ambulances and stretcher- bearers. Stretcher- bearers would carry the injured who were unable to walk on stretchers and the soldiers who were able to walk would follow, through the trenches. Stretcher- bearers would often be pacifists. Pacifists are people who do not believe in fighting or any physical conflict at all for that matter, and in the World Wars, they were either imprisoned or made to join as medical help because to fight soon became compulsory for men in both wars. Also if someone didn't fight, and they were a fit, healthy, young man, then the community around them would highly disprove and in some cases they were disconnected from the village/ town/ city.

After being taken from the trenches, ambulances would pick the wounded up. Usually the ambulances were driven by men and women volunteers who wished to assist in the war effort. Ambulances could be motorised or pulled by horses. They would transport the sick and injured to hospitals.

The hospitals could be public or private. Many of these hospitals were cared for by charities and groups such as the Red Cross and St. John's Ambulance; both of which are still around today. The Red Cross used buildings that were usually donated by public communities and private wealthy people. Sadly as the war continued more men became wounded and ill and the constant demand for beds increased rapidly. Asylums from before the war started to be used as hospitals. There were hospitals for shell shock that were different from the general hospitals. If a soldier was likely to survive, then he was transferred and admitted to Base Hospital. Whilst being transferred to the Base Hospitals, the patients would be taken by a special ambulance train but sometimes they were transported by barge down a river or canal!

During the First World War, the Red Cross nurses and medical teams worked under the emblem of a red cross, which protected them against gun firings. Medical teams would not only care for the allies but also for the axis because they believe in helping all. The Red Cross organisation enlisted volunteers. They were all trained in first aiding but then some would specialise and train in their chosen section such as nursing and cooking. The nurses were mainly women. There was such a thing as the Red Cross Working Parties and they would send parcels of clothing to soldiers in medical care and also on the Frontline and fighting. The male volunteers mainly used for transporting the sick. Famous Red Cross volunteers include the notorious murder mystery author Agatha Christy and the feminist and pacifist and author Vera Brattain who is a very influential woman.

Without these courageous people each country would most certainly have lost more people!

Sources:
~ vlib.us: World War I Ambulances 
~ The Long, Long Trail: British Field Ambulances for the Royal Army
~ The Long, Long Trail: Military Hospital in Great Britain
~ The Long, Long Trail: The evacuation chain for wounded and sick soldiers
~ British Red Cross: What the Red Cross did during WWI