My Mummy's Pennies: Did You Know….? Top Facts For Families about War and Medicine

1. Trench foot is a nasty condition that makes feet swollen and painful – and is

caused by spending too long in damp, cold and unhygienic conditions (like not

changing wet socks!). The name came about during the First World War as soldiers

spent many hours in wet, soggy boots in the trenches.

2. There were over 70,000 cases of trench foot during the First World War! To

combat this dreaded disease, soldiers used a variety of methods from wearing dry

socks, holding regular foot inspections and massaging feet with whale oil (which had

an even more horrible smell than sweaty feet!)

3. In 1916, Dr. Gerhard Stalling set up a school to train dogs to help German soldiers

who had been blinded in the First World War. These were the first ever guide dogs.

4. John Simpson Kirkpatrick was a stretcher-bearer with the Australian and New

Zealand Army Corps during the Gallipoli Campaign in the First World War. He and

his donkey became famous for carrying injured British Empire soldiers from the

frontline to safety.

5. During the First World War, a soldier almost literally came back from the dead.

Lieutenant Hugh Bird MC was seriously wounded during intense fighting in France

in March 1918. In the confusion, his fellow officers thought he had been killed. His

family were told and a memorial service was held. But in May 1918, it became clear

that Bird was still alive. He had been taken prisoner, given basic medical treatment

and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. Bird was sent home to Britain in

September 1918..

6. The system of triage – which splits patients into three groups, depending on how

serious their condition is – is used in all hospitals today. It originally came about

during the Napoleonic Wars and became standard practice during the First World

War.

7. Before 1914, more people died from diseases in war time than battle injuries. The

First World War was the first major conflict to reverse this trend – partly due to the

first major use of vaccinations.

8. Disease, including the lethal Spanish Flu, caused about one third of military deaths

during the First World War. The Spanish Flu caused havoc for the civillan population

too, killing an estimated 50 million people worldwide.

9. One nasty side effect of living in the trenches was lice! It is estimated that

97% of the soldiers living in the trenches were infested. They used to refer to the

lice as ‘chats’ and when they got together to pick the lice off each other, it was

called ‘chatting up’ – a phrase we use frequently today!

10. Coconuts were used in the South Pacific in the Second World War during

emergency blood transfusions – it was discovered coconut water is sterile (until

opened) and it mixes easily with blood.