11 mark
What was a common cause of trench foot among soldiers in the First World War?
The constant sound of artillery.
Exposure to wet conditions.
Lice.
Inadequate nutrition.
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The British Sector of the Western Front: Injuries (Edexcel GCSE History: The Thematic & Historic Environment (Paper 1))
Topic Questions
15 mins15 questions
21 mark
What was the most popular method used to prevent trench foot?
Chatting.
Wearing gas masks.
Changing socks regularly.
Taking quinine.
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31 mark
What percentage of wounds in the Western Front were caused by bullets according to a case study of 200,000 injured soldiers?
25%
39%
50%
58%
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41 mark
What percentage of all wounds in the British sector of the Western Front were head wounds?
10%
15%
17%
20%
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51 mark
What was shell shock commonly caused by?
Exposure to lice.
Drinking contaminated water.
Stressful conditions and artillery bombardments.
Lack of proper footwear.
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61 mark
What protective measure was introduced by the British government in 1915 to reduce head injuries?
Brodie helmets.
M1 helmet.
Shako helmet.
PASGT helmet.
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71 mark
How did soldiers initially try to protect themselves from chlorine gas?
By holding their breath.
Using gas masks.
Wearing Brodie helmets.
Placing urine-soaked cotton pads around their mouths.
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81 mark
Which gas used in the First World War caused internal and external blisters?
Mustard gas.
Chlorine gas.
Phosgene gas.
Bromine gas.
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91 mark
Why were rats a problem in the trenches?
They caused trench foot.
They caused trench fever.
They caused lice.
They caused malnutrition.
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101 mark
Study Source A. What is the nature of this source?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Captain Impey. Captain Impey was an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment, which served on the Western Front. Here he is describing the conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
The trenches were wet and cold and some of them did not have duckboards covering the mud on the floor of the trench. Many trenches also did not have dug-outs where soldiers could shelter while they slept. The battalion lived in mud and water. These conditions caused many men to develop trench foot. Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches. Trench foot was a new illness and it was virtually important to provide dry socks for the troops. Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches. One section of the trench was kept as an area where men were sent, two at a time, to rub each other's feet with grease. They would do this at least once a day. |
The First World War.
Captain Impey.
A written account.
The conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
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11 mark
What quote from Source A best supports the following inference:
‘The British Army was very concerned about the issue of trench foot’.
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Captain Impey. Captain Impey was an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment, which served on the Western Front. Here he is describing the conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
The trenches were wet and cold and some of them did not have duckboards covering the mud on the floor of the trench. Many trenches also did not have dug-outs where soldiers could shelter while they slept. The battalion lived in mud and water. These conditions caused many men to develop trench foot. Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches. Trench foot was a new illness and it was virtually important to provide dry socks for the troops. Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches. One section of the trench was kept as an area where men were sent, two at a time, to rub each other's feet with grease. They would do this at least once a day. |
“Some of them did not have duckboards”.
“Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches”.
“Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches”.
“The trenches were wet and cold”.
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21 mark
Using Source A and your own knowledge, why did trench foot have such a negative impact on the British Army on the Western Front?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Captain Impey. Captain Impey was an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment, which served on the Western Front. Here he is describing the conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
The trenches were wet and cold and some of them did not have duckboards covering the mud on the floor of the trench. Many trenches also did not have dug-outs where soldiers could shelter while they slept. The battalion lived in mud and water. These conditions caused many men to develop trench foot. Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches. Trench foot was a new illness and it was virtually important to provide dry socks for the troops. Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches. One section of the trench was kept as an area where men were sent, two at a time, to rub each other's feet with grease. They would do this at least once a day. |
Trench foot only affected 200 men but it had a devastating impact on their lives when they returned home from fighting on the Western Front.
Seeing other soldiers suffering from trench foot created fear among the other soldiers. This increased the number of desertions in the British Army.
The Army could not afford the extra expense needed to deal with trench foot. The purchasing of rubber boots and whale grease for soldiers was expensive.
The British Army needed healthy soldiers. In extreme cases, soldiers had to have their feet amputated, meaning that they could no longer fight.
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31 mark
Study Source A. If the historian had used Source A to investigate the issue of trench foot, what other source would be the best to use to help in their enquiry?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Captain Impey. Captain Impey was an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment, which served on the Western Front. Here he is describing the conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
The trenches were wet and cold and some of them did not have duckboards covering the mud on the floor of the trench. Many trenches also did not have dug-outs where soldiers could shelter while they slept. The battalion lived in mud and water. These conditions caused many men to develop trench foot. Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches. Trench foot was a new illness and it was virtually important to provide dry socks for the troops. Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches. One section of the trench was kept as an area where men were sent, two at a time, to rub each other's feet with grease. They would do this at least once a day. |
The historian could use a written account from another Captain. It is more helpful for a historian to study multiple of the same type of source.
The historian could use the RAMC medical records on trench foot. This would show the amount of soldiers who suffered from the condition and the range of treatments that they received.
The historian could look through a photograph of trench fever. This would help the historian to see if trench fever was more damaging than trench foot to the British Army.
The historian could use a soldier’s diary extract from the First World War. This would help the historian to understand the conditions in the trenches and how difficult living on the frontlines was.
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11 mark
Study Source A. What statement best summarises Captain Impey’s opinion on the problem of trench foot?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Captain Impey. Captain Impey was an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment, which served on the Western Front. Here he is describing the conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
The trenches were wet and cold and some of them did not have duckboards covering the mud on the floor of the trench. Many trenches also did not have dug-outs where soldiers could shelter while they slept. The battalion lived in mud and water. These conditions caused many men to develop trench foot. Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches. Trench foot was a new illness and it was virtually important to provide dry socks for the troops. Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches. One section of the trench was kept as an area where men were sent, two at a time, to rub each other's feet with grease. They would do this at least once a day. |
The wet and cold conditions of the trenches meant that it was virtually impossible to stop soldiers from developing trench foot.
The British Army was well prepared for trench foot because they knew a lot about the condition.
Trench foot was very easily prevented so it did not cause a problem in the trenches.
As there were only a few cases of trench foot, it had little impact on the soldiers’ day-to-day lives.
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21 mark
Study Source A. How does the provenance of Source A impact how helpful the source is for the historian’s enquiry into trench foot?
Source A: From an account written after the First World War by Captain Impey. Captain Impey was an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment, which served on the Western Front. Here he is describing the conditions in the trenches and the problem of trench foot.
The trenches were wet and cold and some of them did not have duckboards covering the mud on the floor of the trench. Many trenches also did not have dug-outs where soldiers could shelter while they slept. The battalion lived in mud and water. These conditions caused many men to develop trench foot. Altogether about 200 men with trench foot had to be evacuated from our section of the trenches. Trench foot was a new illness and it was virtually important to provide dry socks for the troops. Rubber boots were provided for the troops in the worst positions in the trenches. One section of the trench was kept as an area where men were sent, two at a time, to rub each other's feet with grease. They would do this at least once a day. |
Captain Impey was an officer serving in the First World War. This makes the source very helpful because he has first-hand experience in coordinating the British Army’s attempts to prevent cases of trench foot.
The account was written after the First World War. This makes the source less helpful because it does not contain as accurate information as it was written during the First World War.
The source is a written account. This makes the source more helpful because photographs showing the process of preventing trench foot could be staged. The account may better reflect the British Army’s attempts to combat trench foot.
The source is focused on the Royal Sussex Regiment. This makes the source not very helpful because it only shows what trench foot was like in this section of the trench. It could be very different across the Western Front.
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