Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
The Terrain & Impact on Transport & Communications (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
The Impacts of Terrain on Transport and Communication - Summary
The terrain of the Western Front was notoriously difficult. This was true for both the soldiers in the trenches and the transport used to gather the wounded. Heavy rainfall between 1915 and 1916 created many problems. Illnesses increased and it affected the efficiency of stretcher-bearers and ambulances. Craters caused by artillery fire made transporting the wounded dangerous for both the stretcher-bearers and injured soldiers. Transport problems meant that thousands of soldiers who could have survived died from their wounds. There were some developments in the transportation methods used to help the wounded. However, the terrain of the Western Front was a constant problem for those groups helping the wounded away from the frontline. This section provides an understanding of the work of the RAMC. It also explains the chain of evacuation on the Western Front |
The Terrain of the Western Front
Most of the fighting on the Western Front took place in northern France and Belgium
The use of trenches led to static warfare where the battlefronts moved slowly
This meant that the terrain was constantly affected by shelling
The terrain had many impacts on soldiers in the Western Front:
Feature of the terrain | Impact on British troops in the Western Front |
|---|---|
Artillery fire and shelling | Explosions caused holes and craters across the battlefield which made it difficult for injured soldiers to be helped by medics
|
Torrential rainfall | This caused waterlogged trenches which led to around 20,000 victims of trench foot between 1915 and 1916
|
Trench system | Trenches were cramped and full of equipment which made it hard for soldiers to navigate them |
Fertiliser in the soil | Before the war, the area of the Western Front had been used for farming. Fertiliser in the soil caused wounds to become infected |
The Impact of the Terrain on Transportation on the Western Front
Impact on 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
Between four to six bearers moved each stretcher
They worked day and night
Stretcher-bearers had to move quickly so that the injured soldier had a greater chance of survival:
This made them vulnerable to shelling and gunfire
Obstacles like craters, barbed wire, mud and puddles made it difficult for stretcher-bearers
They suffered heavy casualties - one unit suffered 42 casualties out of 48 stretcher bearers that they had
Impact on horse-drawn and motor ambulances
The BEF did not use motor ambulances when they arrived in France in 1914
Horse-drawn ambulances had many problems:
They could not cope with the large number of casualties
The movement of the horses on the difficult terrain shook the injured soldiers
Each ambulance required six horses
A public appeal run by The Times newspaper raised enough money for 512 motor ambulances by October 1914
The motor ambulances were to replace the horse-drawn ambulances
Motor vehicles also struggled to navigate the muddy terrain
Impact on trains, barges and ships
Transportation of the wounded to Base Hospitals, away from the frontlines, was by train:
At the start of the war, 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
Artillery destroyed many railway lines
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
Worked Example
How could you follow up Source A to find out more about the impact of the terrain on the transport of the wounded on the Western Front?
In your answer, you must give the question you would ask and the type of source you could use.
4 marks
Source A: A photograph showing a gigantic shell crater, 75 yards in circumference, near Ypres, October 1917.
Answers:
Detail in Source A that I would follow up: The photograph shows a gigantic shell crater. (1)
Question I would ask: How did stretcher bearers navigate craters like this during the night? (1)
What type of source I would look for: RAMC military records from 1917 for a group of stretcher-bearers (1)
How this might help answer my question: The records would detail the techniques and strategies used by stretcher-bearers at night to recognise and avoid large craters whilst carrying the wounded (1)
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Question 2(b) is assessing your understanding of sources.
You must do each of the following to receive four marks:
Select a detail - pick a detail relevant to the enquiry to focus on.
Ask a question - use a who, what, when, where, why, and how question linked to the detail you selected previously.
The first two stages are connected - if you do not provide a detail, you will not receive a mark for your question.
Pick an appropriate source - consider which source is relevant to the enquiry. For example, medical records are useful when looking into an inquiry about transporting the wounded, whereas a painting produced at the time may not be.
Explain why you picked this source - explain how your source will help answer the question you asked previously.
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