Year 11 History Students Immerse Themselves in WW1 Medicine Workshop

Year 11 GCSE History students from Penrice and Poltair participated in an eye-opening and poignant joint-school workshop today which focused on WW1 medicine.

Led by visitors David and Richard from Frontline Living History, the workshop explored the various injuries suffered in WW1 and the medical treatments used to help soldiers on the frontline. The purpose of the visit was to improve students’ understanding of past illnesses, injuries and medicines, building their knowledge as part of their History of Medicines GCSE unit.

Over the course of two sessions, the duo talked through the various WW1 injuries including artillery wounds, bullet wounds, bayonet wounds, shrapnel wounds and, as the war progressed, injuries suffered by gas attacks and the defences against the different chemicals used.

Students were given the opportunity to hold various artefacts and models throughout the workshop, including a few lucky volunteers who got to sound gas alarms and wear gas masks in a short re-enactment.

Mr Wright
Head of History at Penrice Academy

“Today’s workshop is all about helping our GCSE History students add context and visualisation to their studies. Through interacting with real-life artefacts and replicas, students will really be able to understand what soldiers went through and they will be able to use this experience when answering their GCSE exam questions later in the year.”