Frontline Living History - World War 1 Battlefield Workshops

Students in Year 11 and year 10 had the fantastic opportunity to participate in WW1 Battlefield workshops delivered by Frontline Living History. The workshops were led by David Alton and Richard Townesley - experienced historical interpreters with years of experience in WW1 battlefield medicine reenactment. The workshops covered the contents of Edexcel GCSE Historic environment study and gave students an opportunity to handle authentic artefacts, participate in role play and immerse themselves into the brutal reality of the conditions in the trenches.

An authentically-unifo

rmed Regimental Medical Officer and Royal Army Medical Corps Orderly lead the students through a wide range of important topics including: 

• Conditions in the trenches and how they impacted upon the health and wellbeing of soldiers, and how they affected the wounds, recovery and treatment of casualties
• Common trench illnesses including lice infestation, trench foot
• The introduction and effectiveness of personal protective equipment such as shrapnel helmets and gas masks
• The roles of the different medical staff working on the Western Front
• The Casualty Evacuation Chain from Battlefield to Blighty
• The legacy of Great War battlefield medicine – how experimentation, improvisation and innovation developed medical techniques and technologies leading to better care for Great War casualties and for everyone since