Source A: Photograph of wounded British and Canadian troops on way to aid-post during the Battle of Passchendaele (also known as the Third Battle of Ypres) July –Nov 1917
For the soldiers who fought at Passchendaele, it was known as the 'Battle of Mud'. |
Background information
1 Describe key features. 1 Key features of the impact of the terrain One key feature of the terrain on the Western Front was that the ground was difficult traverse. Due to shelling and heavy use the ground was churned up. This was exacerbated by very high rainfall and meant no mans land and the trenches could be in deep in liquid mud, making movement difficult and dangerous. Shell craters, many metres across and filled with water, made collecting and carrying the wounded extremely hazardous slow. A second key feature of the terrain on the Western Front was that the trench system could be cramped. Not only were the trenches narrow and zigzagged with traverses, they were also very overcrowded. They became logged with equipment and men, all moving in different directions. This made transporting the wounded stretchers, extremely hard work and slow. |
2a Utility How useful is Source A for an enquiry into the impact of the terrain on helping the wounded on the Western Front?
Source A is useful because it provides evidence about what the terrain was like and the impact for the stretcher-bearers and soldiers. It shows the dangers of the terrain on the Western Front and how shell craters caused a huge impact on the ability to easily rescue or transport injured soldiers. This is accurate because stretcher bearers has to work in teams of at least 4, sometimes up to 8, so that if one started to sink into the mud, they could get assist each other. The image also shows the presence of shell craters, which could measure over 2 metres deep. It also shows that because of the need for 4 to a stretcher, the other wounded men are having to walk for themselves, rather than being assisted. It provides insight because, as a photograph, it captures a moment in the process of the stretcher-bearers recovering soldiers, providing a clear visual of the nature of the problems. It also appears accurate, as a photo is a real image from the time.
However, it cannot be seem as entirely typical of the nature of the impact of the terrain across the War, Ypres, during the Battle of Passchendaele, 1917, experienced a greater level of rainfall that any other location or point during the war, so the problem of mud was greater;, The conditions at Ypres during ‘Passchendaele’ were renowned as particularly wet and muddy, so much so that it was known as the 'Battle of Mud'. Furthermore the terrain varied from location to location; in Arras, the terrain was chalky. In addition it only shows the impact of the terrain on the very first stage of the evacuation route, not its impact on later stages of helping the wounded, such as transportation to the Casualty Clearing stations, or dealing with the consequences of infection from the bacteria laden soil. Furthermore because Source A is photograph it is possible that it was orchestrated or selected to be shown at home to show the commitment of the stretcher bearers
Overall, Source A is relatively useful as it shows the terrain however there are some limitations: it only shows it in the most extreme conditions as it was taken in Ypres, in 1917. Also it only shows the difficulties caused by the terrain for the very first stage of the evacuation route.