Trench Foot, Trench Fever and Frostbite: Illness on the Western Front - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

20 original exam-style questions - 5 pages of questions with a full mark scheme - free printable PDF.

Download PDF Jump to mark scheme (page 6)Trench Foot, Trench Fever and Frostbite: Illness on the Western Front revision guide

This topic is chapter 2 of GCSE History: The Western Front, 1914-18 Practice Book.

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2.8 Trench Foot, Trench Fever and Frostbite: Illness on the Western Front

EDEXCEL 1HI0 · about 55 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

Answer ALL questions. Write in full sentences for Questions 12, 13 and 14. You are advised to spend about 40 minutes on this pack.

Name the oily substance soldiers were told to rub into their feet to help prevent trench foot.

(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)

Give one reason why front-line trenches in the British sector often became waterlogged.

(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)

Name the tiny parasitic insect that spread trench fever among soldiers on the Western Front.

(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)

Give one immediate symptom soldiers suffered when taken ill with trench fever.

(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)

Name one prevention measure introduced to reduce trench foot among British soldiers.

(Total for Question 5 is 1 mark)

Name the wooden strips placed in trenches to help men keep their feet out of standing water.

(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)

Give one treatment or first-aid response used when a soldier showed early signs of trench foot.

(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)

State two ways trench fever affected a soldier's ability to fight.

(Total for Question 8 is 2 marks)

State two ways delousing reduced the spread of trench fever.

(Total for Question 9 is 2 marks)

State two ways that standing water and mud in the trenches contributed to frostbite and trench foot.

(Total for Question 10 is 2 marks)

Give the term for the severe tissue death that could result from untreated trench foot or frostbite.

(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)

State two ways that tight boots increased the risk of trench foot.

(Total for Question 12 is 2 marks)

Name one organisational measure used to reduce cases of trench fever among troops.

(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)

State two reasons why early signs of trench foot needed to be identified quickly.

(Total for Question 14 is 2 marks)

State two reasons why trench fever was difficult to prevent completely among troops in the front line.

(Total for Question 15 is 2 marks)

Describe two features of how British commanders and medical officers tried to prevent trench foot and frostbite among men in the front-line trenches.

(Total for Question 16 is 4 marks)

Describe two features of the conditions that made illness common in front-line trenches.

(Total for Question 17 is 4 marks)

How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into the causes and prevention of trench foot and trench fever in the British sector of the Western Front, 1914-18?

Source A: From a letter written by Private T. Mason, 9th Battalion, describing life in a frontline trench near Ypres, November 1916. 'Our boots are wet day after day. We march out on duckboards when we can, but at times the boards sink and we stand in water. I have seen men with swollen, black toes and the doctor told them to rub oil into their feet. The men who never change their socks seem worst, and the lice are everywhere, making us itch and feel ill.'

Source B: From a memo written by a regimental medical officer to his commanding officer, January 1917, reporting patterns of illness. 'Trench foot cases are rising where troops remain in the line for long periods. Causes identified include constant damp, ill-fitting boots and failure to change socks. Trench fever, spread by lice, is also common. I recommend compulsory daily foot inspections, extra issue of dry socks and a rotation scheme to move men out of the front line more frequently.'

Use details of the sources and your knowledge to reach a supported judgement about their utility. 8 marks

(Total for Question 18 is 8 marks)

How useful are Sources A and B for an enquiry into how far orders to prevent trench foot were actually carried out among British soldiers on the Western Front?

Source A: From an order issued by a British battalion commander to company officers near Arras, February 1917. 'Every man is to have his feet inspected before going into the line and again on return. Socks are to be dried whenever possible and whale oil rubbed well into the feet. Platoon commanders will report any failure to maintain duckboards in their sector.'

Source B: From a diary entry written by a stretcher bearer serving with a field ambulance near Ypres, March 1917. 'We received several men from the front line today with feet swollen and numb. They said inspections were hurried because the company was short of men. Some had no dry socks left after two wet nights. The doctor warned that two cases might turn bad if not rested.'

Use details of the sources and your knowledge to reach a supported judgement about their utility. 8 marks

(Total for Question 19 is 8 marks)

How could you follow up Source B to find out more about whether shortages of dry socks made trench foot worse? Give four linked elements: the detail you would follow up from Source B, the question you would ask, the type of source you could use, and how that source would help answer the question.

(Total for Question 20 is 4 marks)

Mark scheme · 2.8 Trench Foot, Trench Fever and Frostbite: Illness on the Western Front

Question 1

B1 whale oil
Answer: Whale oil

Question 2

B1 low-lying ground, heavy rain, shell damage to drainage, or the high water table in areas such as around Ypres
Answer: Low-lying ground and damaged drainage meant trenches could fill with water.

Question 3

B1 body louse or lice
Answer: Body louse or lice

Question 4

B1 high fever or severe headache or muscle pain
Answer: High fever (other acceptable answers: severe headache or muscle pain).

Question 5

B1 daily foot inspections
Answer: Daily foot inspections

Question 6

B1 duckboards
Answer: Duckboards

Question 7

B1 rubbing whale oil or similar grease into the feet
Answer: Rubbing whale oil or similar grease into the feet

Question 8

B1 it caused fever, headache or severe aches that made a soldier unfit for duty
B1 it could recur or keep a soldier away from the front line for a long period
Answer: Trench fever caused fever, headaches and aches that made soldiers unfit for duty, and it could recur or keep them away from the front line for weeks.

Question 9

B1 it killed or removed lice from soldiers' uniforms or bodies
B1 it reduced the chance of infected lice spreading the disease between men in crowded trenches
Answer: Delousing killed or removed lice from uniforms and bodies, reducing the chance that infected lice would spread trench fever between soldiers.

Question 10

B1 water and mud kept feet constantly wet, reducing circulation and causing tissue damage
B1 cold water reduced body heat at the extremities, increasing risk of frostbite and freezing of tissue
Answer: Standing water and mud kept feet wet, reducing circulation and damaging tissue; cold water lowered heat at the extremities, increasing the risk of frostbite.

Question 11

B1 gangrene
Answer: Gangrene

Question 12

B1 tight boots restricted circulation to the toes and feet
B1 restricted circulation made it harder for wet, cold feet to recover, increasing tissue damage risk
Answer: Tight boots restricted circulation to the feet, and this reduced blood flow meant wet, cold feet could not recover, raising the risk of trench foot and tissue damage.

Question 13

B1 regular delousing and issuing of clean underclothes or changing billets to reduce lice
Answer: Regular delousing and issuing of clean underclothes

Question 14

B1 early removal from wet conditions could prevent the condition becoming severe
B1 untreated cases could lead to gangrene, amputation or long absence from duty
Answer: Early identification allowed men to be removed from wet conditions before the condition became severe, and untreated cases could lead to gangrene, amputation or long absence from duty.

Question 15

B1 lice quickly reinfested men even after delousing, because trenches and dugouts stayed infested
B1 soldiers in the line rarely had the chance to wash themselves or their clothing thoroughly
Answer: Lice quickly reinfested men even after delousing because trenches and dugouts stayed infested, and soldiers in the line rarely had the chance to wash themselves or their clothing thoroughly.

Question 16

B1 feature 1 identified, e.g. compulsory daily foot inspections
B1 supporting detail for feature 1, e.g. officers and medical staff examined soldiers feet to spot early signs and remove those affected from the line
B1 feature 2 identified, e.g. provision of dry socks, spare boots and whale oil
B1 supporting detail for feature 2, e.g. men were issued with spare socks and told to rub whale oil into their feet to repel moisture
Answer: Compulsory daily foot inspections were used to spot early signs and remove men from the line, and men were issued dry socks and spare boots and told to rub whale oil into their feet to repel moisture.

Question 17

B1 feature 1 identified, e.g. units were often not rotated out of the front line often enough
B1 supporting detail for feature 1, e.g. men could be left in the same wet boots and socks for days with little chance to dry off or change into fresh kit
B1 feature 2 identified, e.g. trenches were crowded and dirty
B1 supporting detail for feature 2, e.g. lice spread easily in unwashed clothing, increasing the risk of trench fever
Answer: Units were often not rotated out of the front line often enough, so men could be left in the same wet boots and socks for days with little chance to dry off, and trenches were crowded and dirty, so lice spread easily in unwashed clothing.

Question 18

Level 1 (1-2): Simple assertions about utility, using surface detail from one source or general knowledge with little reference to provenance or context.
Level 2 (3-5): Analysis of usefulness based on content and some consideration of provenance and context, with support from both sources and own knowledge.
Level 3 (6-8): A well-supported judgement that evaluates the usefulness of both sources, using precise references to content, clear consideration of provenance and purpose, and relevant contextual knowledge to explain strengths and limitations.
Indicative content:
- Content strengths: both sources give direct detail linking constant damp, wet boots and unchanged socks to trench foot, and identify lice as the cause of trench fever. Source A provides eyewitness description of conditions and symptoms. Source B gives an official, medically informed summary and recommendations, naming specific causes such as ill-fitting boots.
- Provenance and limitations: Source A is a private soldier's letter, valuable for showing lived experience and symptoms seen, but it may be limited by the writer's personal view and possible exaggeration; its purpose was to describe life to a friend or family member, not to record systematic medical evidence. Source B is a medical officer's memo, intended to advise commanders, and so is likely to be accurate about causes and prevention, but it may emphasise measures the officer believes will be accepted and may underplay wider logistical problems such as supply shortages.
- Contextual knowledge: knowledge that duckboards, extra socks, whale oil and rotation were introduced supports both sources and explains why the medical officer recommends inspections and rotation. Knowledge that lice spread in close, dirty conditions supports the identification of lice as the vector for trench fever. Understanding supply and command constraints explains why recommendations were not always fully implemented.
- Judgement: Both sources are useful. Source A is particularly useful for illustrating the everyday experience and symptoms, while Source B is more useful for authoritative identification of causes and practical preventative recommendations. However, neither source on its own gives a full picture of how widely recommendations were implemented or their effectiveness, so they are best used together and alongside other records such as medical statistics and supply logs.

Question 19

Level 1 (1-2): Simple assertions about utility, using surface detail from one source or general knowledge with little reference to provenance or context.
Level 2 (3-5): Analysis of usefulness based on content and some consideration of provenance and context, with support from both sources and own knowledge.
Level 3 (6-8): A well-supported judgement that evaluates the usefulness of both sources, using precise references to content, clear consideration of provenance and purpose, and relevant contextual knowledge to explain strengths and limitations.
Indicative content:
- Content strengths: Source A is useful because it sets out exactly what officers were ordered to enforce, including inspections, dry socks, whale oil and duckboards. Source B is useful because it shows whether that order was actually followed, recording hurried inspections, a shortage of dry socks and men arriving with swollen, numb feet.
- Provenance and limitations: Source A is an order from a commander, useful for official policy and expectations, but it may show what was supposed to happen rather than what always happened. Source B is from a stretcher bearer, useful for medical consequences and front-line experience, but it reflects one place and one day rather than the whole British sector.
- Contextual knowledge: students can use knowledge that trench foot was caused by prolonged cold and wet conditions, that whale oil, socks, foot inspections, rotation and duckboards were used to prevent it, and that prevention was difficult in waterlogged trenches.
- Judgement: together the sources are useful because they allow comparison between official prevention policy and actual difficulties. They are limited because neither gives full statistics on how far cases fell, so further medical records would be needed.

Question 20

B1 identifies a specific detail from Source B to follow up, e.g. some men had no dry socks left after two wet nights
B1 gives a linked question, e.g. did companies with fewer dry socks have more trench foot cases?
B1 suggests an appropriate source type, e.g. quartermaster supply records compared with regimental medical records or field ambulance admission records
B1 explains how that source would help, e.g. comparing sock supplies with recorded cases would show whether shortages coincided with more trench foot
Answer: Follow up the detail that some men had no dry socks left after two wet nights. Ask whether companies with fewer dry socks had more trench foot cases. Use quartermaster supply records alongside medical or field ambulance records. Comparing sock issue with case numbers would show whether shortages coincided with more trench foot.

Trench Foot, Trench Fever and Frostbite: Illness on the Western Front - Worksheets, Questions and Revision

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