The Terrain & Impact on Transport & Communications (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

The impacts of terrain on transport and communication - Summary

• The terrain of the Western Front was notoriously difficult because of:

  • Heavy rainfall

  • Craters caused by artillery

  • The trench system

  • Fertiliser in the soil

• Methods of transport had to adapt to these conditions

  • The RAMC transported wounded soldiers from the frontlines using:

    • Stretcher-bearers

    • Motorised ambulances

    • Trains

    • Barges

    • Ships

• Despite these methods, the terrain of the Western Front was a constant problem for the British Army

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

Problems with the terrain and their impact

Artillery fire and shelling

• Explosions caused craters across the battlefield and destroyed roads

  • This made it hard for medics and ambulances to reach the wounded

Torrential rainfall

• Rain caused waterlogged trenches and muddy battlefields

  • This caused 20,000 victims of trench foot between 1915 and 1916

  • Motor ambulances got stuck in the mud

Trench system

• Trenches were narrow and crowded with equipment

  • This made it difficult for stretcher-bearers and medics to move through

Fertiliser in the soil

• The area had been farmland before the war so the soil contained fertilisers

  • This caused infections in wounds, especially from shrapnel or bullets

The impact of the terrain on transportation on the Western Front

Impact on stretcher bearers

• Stretcher-bearers recovered injured soldiers from the trenches and no-man's-land:

  • Each battalion had 16 stretcher-bearers

  • Each stretcher required 4–6 men to carry

  • They worked day and night

• They worked in dangerous conditions, such as:

  • Shellfire, barbed wire and enemy attack

  • Obstacles like craters, barbed wire, mud and puddles

• As a result, they suffered heavy casualties

Impact on horse-drawn and motor ambulances

• The BEF used Horse-drawn ambulances in 1914

• Horse-drawn ambulances were:

  • Too slow to cope with the number of casualties

  • Shook injured soldiers, worsening their injuries

  • Impractial as each ambulance required six horses

• A public appeal funded 512 motor ambulances by October 1914, replaced horse-drawn ambulances 

• Motor vehicles also struggled to navigate the muddy terrain

Impact on trains, barges and ships

Trains

• Initially, the RAMC used French goods trains

• The first ambulance train arrived in France in November 1914

• However:

  • Artillery destroyed many railway lines

  • The train network became congested

Barges

• Canal barges were used to combat the issues with the train network

• Barges were slower but more comfortable for soldiers

Hospital ships

• Took the severely wounded back to Britain from the French or Belgian coast