Base Hospitals

What were Base Hospitals?

Base Hospitals were the largest and best equipped medical posts in the First World War.

Where were Base Hospitals?

Base Hospitals were mostly located near the northern coast of France, so that injured men could be shipped back to Britain.

What was the role of Base Hospitals?

There were 3 main roles that Base Hospitals carried out:

• ❖ They treated patients who required longer-term medical care.
• ❖ They grouped patients in wards according to their type of injury.
• ❖ Doctors assigned to each ward began to develop specialisms in certain types of injury and treatment.

What was the Base Hospital at Arras like?

There was an underground base hospital at Arras. It was opened in November 1916 and had waiting rooms, operating theatres, rest stations, room for 700 stretchers, and a mortuary. It had electricity and plumbed water.