Welcome to the second meeting this month of Yorkshire branch of the Western Front Association. Last week we welcomed back Professor John Derry who talked on the Battle of Waterloo, but we return to the Great War today with Simon Peaple who will talk on The Sharp End of the Learning Curve': The 46th Division in the Battle of Lens. In this lecture, Simon will describe how the year of 1917 was a pivotal year for the 46th Division, when they began to develop their offensive fighting skills as they carried out a series of raids developing into brigade actions and a full scale divisional assault on this often overlooked part of the Western Front.
This is the last meeting we hold prior to the annual claim to the Inland Revenue for Gift Aid, so in the absence of Branch Treasurer, David Tattersfield, who is today at the WFA's AGM in London, I would ask that anyone who has not completed a Gift Aid form to do so as soon as possible.
Brian Marsden
Forthcoming Speakers:
15 May: ‘From Disaster to Triumph': The 49th (West Riding) Division in the Great War
Derek Clayton will examine the performance of the 49th Division on three specific days, detailing the attacks of 3 September 1916 at Thiepval, 9 October 1917 at Poelcapelle, and 1 November 1918 at Valenciennes.
19 June: ‘Beyond Solly-Flood': Tactical Development in the BEF in 1918.
Dave Molineux will describe how, in June 1918 GHQ dropped a tactical bombshell on the BEF. This paper addresses the way in which divisional responses to this GHQ edict shaped tactical development for the remainder of the Great War.
Roy Waterhouse
It is with regret that I announce the death of long time branch member Roy Waterhouse, who died on 23 March, aged 76. Roy will be remembered as the provider of the sound equipment - and also as someone always likely to ask slightly esoteric questions of the speaker! Our condolences go to Roy's friends and family.
David Tattersfield
Branch Lecture Series - March 2010: Peter Starling ‘Medical Services in the Great War'
The Royal Army Medical Corps was the result of the reorganisation of the Army Medical Services in 1898. In many ways it resulted from the post-Crimean War decisions to improve medical services after the criticisms levelled at the medical services available to the army during the Crimean War. The Boer War in South Africa revealed that these improvements had not gone far enough as the same criticisms were levelled at the RAMC.
Without civilian volunteers, the RAMC in 1914 would have found the work in handling the wounded beyond them. Doctors were encouraged to register for work in France and women who wanted to nurse the wounded came as civilians as they were refused commissions. The most important and influential woman who served with the nursing of the BEF was Dame Maude McCarthy. She served as Nursing Sister-in-Charge during the Boer War and was involved in the formation of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. She was in France from August 1914 and served as matron-in-chief of the BEF throughout the war. In 1914 she started with 516 nurses, in 1918 this number had grown to over 6000.
The treatment of wounds in 1914 could not be more different to those from the Boer War, the South African climate was far drier, and there had been no manure to enter the wounds and therefore fewer foreign organisms to worry about. But another major difference was the cause of the wounds, in South Africa the majority of the wounds were caused by gunshot; in 1914 there were many more shrapnel and shell fragment wounds. A bullet causing a gunshot wound would carry bacteria into the wound as well as cloth from the uniform. Unless these were removed as soon as possible, complications such as gangrene could develop. Eventually good practise kept the wounds open for 48 - 72 hours while these fragments were removed and only then healthy blood and tissue could be sewn up. By 1915 a shell dressing had been added to the gunshot dressing as the 'hole' created so was much bigger and required more material to cover. The manured fields of Northern France meant that tetanus became a major problem. Luckily a serum was soon available and over 11 million doses were administered during the Great War.
More surgery led to advances in anaesthetics. The universal use of chloroform was gradually replaced by safer anaesthetics like ether and nitrous oxide. This too became an area of expertise as more doctors and nurses were trained in the use of anaesthetics. Mobile X-ray machines made their appearance in January 1915, but until a reliable power source became available, they were not widespread. The advances in power stations to supply the current necessary were the new requirement.
Transfusions were not that common in 1914 as the donor had to be attached directly to the recipient. This was replaced by the refrigeration of citrated blood, an improvement discovered by Richard Lewisohn. Now blood could be donated before a major offensive, refrigerated and stored in what could be called a Blood Bank. Oswald Robertson is credited as the creator of Blood depots in France so that adequate was available to CCS as required.
Steel helmets reduced the incidence of head wounds from compound fractures with or without penetration and the increase of fractures of the base of the skull and concussion without gunshot wound; facial wounds led to dental repair and maxillofacial surgery. The pioneer here was Harold Gillies who, after experiencing the problems in France, returned to the UK and set up his first hospital at Aldershot and, when that was too small, the Queen Mary's Hospital at Frognal House, Sidcup. Between 1917 and 1921 he treated over 5,000 wounded servicemen.
By 1918 the RAMC had established themselves as an integral and essential part of the BEF, this was recognised by the award of nine VCs to members of the RAMC for their gallantry in the field.
Peter Palmer
