RAMC & FANY: The System of Transport (Edexcel GCSE History)

The System of Transport - Summary

Transport to better-equipped facilities for treatment was often needed for injured soldiers. Many men were also sent back to Britain to receive further treatment in British hospitals. This system became known as the chain of evacuation. Split into two sections the chain of evacuation includes the system of transport and the stages of treatment.

The movement of soldiers from the front lines involved a variety of transport methods. The first of these were stretcher bearers, operated mainly by the RAMC. Transport over longer distances involved Ambulance wagons, trains and canal barges.

 FANY completed many roles in the British Sector, including driving ambulance wagons from 1916. For many injured soldiers, the final journey was by ship back to Britain.

Developments in transport made the delivery of treatment for casualties more effective. Key medical groups such as the RAMC, FANY and VADs carried out the transportation. Without these volunteers and sub-sections of the army, many more British soldiers would have died from their injuries in World War One.

The Work of RAMC & FANY

• Illnesses and injuries sustained from the trench environment and weapons of war caused thousands of casualties:

  • Treatment of the wounded soldiers required more medical professionals 

Numbers of medical professionals 1914 and 1918

• The RAMC and FANY were the two main groups that provided the majority of medical care on the Western Front

RAMC

• The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was the branch of the army responsible for medical care:

  • Founded in 1898

  • All medical officers belonged to the RAMC

• Membership increased from 9,000 in 1914 to 113,000 in 1918

• The RAMC included doctors, stretcher-bearers and ambulance drivers.

FANY

• The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) were a group of female volunteers who assisted the RAMC:

  • Founded in 1907 by a soldier who felt that a single horse rider was more efficient than a horse-drawn ambulance

  • Yeomanry is a name for soldiers on horseback

• On the frontline initially there were only well-trained nurses from the QAIMNS  :

  • Although there were only 300 members of QAIMNS on the Western Front in 1914, this rose to 10,000 by 1918

• At first, the government refused the help of volunteer nurses:

  • The nurses set up a Lamarck Hospital opposite the Church of Notre Dame, caring for many wounded soldiers

  • Six members of FANY who arrived in France in October 1914 focused on helping French and Belgian troops:

• As the number of casualties increased, the government accepted help from FANY

  • In January 1916, FANY volunteers, replaced male ambulance drivers from Red Cross

• Outside of driving ambulances, FANY helped in many ways:

Roles of FANY

• Although there were never more than 450 FANY members in France, they encouraged women in other organisations to help on the Western Front:

  • The Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADs) contained 90,000 volunteers (many of them women) who assisted on the frontlines as nurses

The System of Transport

• It was important that the British army had an efficient system of transport to evacuate wounded from the frontline:

  • Members of RAMC and FANY were responsible for moving casualties

• Different types of transport were essential. The stages of Treatment could range from being within 100 metres or hundreds of miles apart:

  • The stage of treatment depended on the severity of the wound(s)

  • Treatment of minor wounds happened at the Regimental Aid Post which was closest to the trenches, so that soldiers could return to their post. Soldiers with more severe wounds were moved onto the Dressing Station

  • Assessment and wrapping of more severe wounds occurred at the Dressing Station. Those with more serious injuries were taken to the Casualty Clearing Station

  • The Base Hospital treated the most seriously injured or they were shipped back to Britain

The use of transport on the Western Front

Stretcher-bearers

• It was the job of stretcher-bearers to recover injured soldiers from the trenches and no man’s land:

  • There were 16 stretcher bearers per battalion

  • Four to six bearers moved each stretcher

  • They worked day and night

• Stretcher-bearers transported injured soldiers from the frontline mainly to the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) and sometimes the Dressing Station:

  • The RAP had its own stretcher-bearers led by a Regimental Medical Officer

  • The Dressing Stations relied on the help of RAMC stretcher bearers

Horse-drawn and motor ambulances

• Over long distances or when there were many casualties stretcher-bearers were less effective:

  • Stretcher-bearers worked close to the frontline making their job incredibly dangerous

  • Transporting the wounded, even over a small distance, was tiring

• Transportation of the wounded to Casualty Clearing Stations (CCS) or Base Hospitals was usually by horse-drawn ambulances and motor ambulances:

  • Enemy artillery destroyed many railway lines making the use of ambulances even more necessary

Trains, barges and ships

• Transportation of the wounded to Base Hospitals away from the frontlines was often by train:

  • To begin with, the RAMC used French goods trains to transport the wounded

  • The first ambulance train designed for carrying the wounded arrived in France in November 1914

  • Some trains contained operating theatres

• Canal barges were also used to transport the wounded to Base Hospitals:

  • The large number of trains used to transport the wounded caused congestion on the train network

  • Canal barges were slower than trains but more comfortable for the wounded

• Hospital ships transported wounded soldiers from the coast back to Britain