Tri-Service

Wounded - The Medical Equipment Of The First World War

With the 100th anniversary off the Battle of the Somme approaching, a new exhibition has opened in London showcasing the medical equipment was used during the First World War.

Wounded - opens tomorrow at the Science Museum, showing how the treatment of battlefield casualties then has shaped the care of personnel today.

On the first day of the Battle on the 1st July 1916, British Forces sustained 57,000 casualties – many of which required urgent medical care.

This exhibition shows some of the equipment that was available to medics at the time and how its been developed for today.

The displays show some of the frontline treatment available, but when the casualties returned home, many had severe wounds – and not all of them were visible.

At the end of 1918, 30,000 personnel were registered with shell shock. The exhibition has teamed up with the charity Combat Stress to showthe scale of what we now call PTSD and some who have suffered its effects in recent conflict have taken part.

Medical equipment has come a long way since the Somme but there are still many similarities in conflict this exhibition a reminder of the life changing impact war can have and the sacrifices that were madeone hundred years ago.

More: The Battle Of The Somme Explained