World War One - Medicine Through Time: The British Sector of the Western Front

This SOW was created for the EDEXCEL WW1 Medicine Through TimeThe British Sector of the Western Front course but can be used for the OCR/AQA topics too. It has a variety of activities and resources, exam skills and revision and students perform extremely well! The lessons cover:
1 The British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: injuries, treatment and
the trenches:
● The context of the British sector of Western Front and the theatre
of war in Flanders and northern France: the Ypres salient, the
Somme, Arras and Cambrai. The trench system - its construction
and organisation, including frontline and support trenches. The use
of mines at Hill 60 near Ypres and the expansion of tunnels, caves
and quarries at Arras. Significance for medical treatment of the
nature of the terrain and problems of the transport and
communications infrastructure.
● Conditions requiring medical treatment on the Western Front,
including the problems of ill health arising from the trench
environment. The nature of wounds from rifles and explosives. The
problem of shrapnel, wound infection and increased numbers of
head injuries. The effects of gas attacks.
● The work of the RAMC and FANY. The system of transport:
stretcher bearers, horse and motor ambulances. The stages of
treatment areas: aid post and field ambulance, dressing station,
casualty clearing station, base hospital. The underground hospital
at Arras.
● The significance of the Western Front for experiments in surgery
and medicine: new techniques in the treatment of wounds and
infection, the Thomas splint, the use of mobile x-ray units, the
creation of a blood bank for the Battle of Cambrai.
● The historical context of medicine in the early twentieth century:
the understanding of infection and moves towards aseptic surgery;
the development of x-rays; blood transfusions and developments
in the storage of blood.
2 Knowledge, selection and use of sources for historical enquiries:
● Knowledge of national sources relevant to the period and issue,
e.g. army records, national newspapers, government reports,
medical articles.
��� Knowledge of local sources relevant to the period and issue, e.g.
personal accounts, photographs, hospital records, army statistics.
● Recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of different types of
source for specific enquiries.
● Framing of questions relevant to the pursuit of a specific enquiry.
● Selection of appropriate sources for specific investigations