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Stretchers were used to move the wounded off the battlefield, usually to Advanced Dressing Stations located right behind the front lines. For stretcher-bearers, it was a dangerous and often demoralizing task given the number and nature of the casualties. Normally, two men would carry a stretcher, but if the terrain was rough and/or muddy it could take up to four—or even six—stretcher-bearers to remove one wounded soldier. Often, there simply were not enough stretcher-bearers to keep up. LCol Griesbach of the 49th Battalion wrote in his report on the Battle at Courcelette that although his “Stretcher Bearers rendered magnificent service throughout the day,” there was an acute shortage of them that needed to be addressed. He pointed to the need for the hasty removal of the injured “to prevent the morale of the men being affected by the cries of the wounded.”
Discover more about the role of medical staff during WWI.