Ayrshire general practitioner Charles McKerrow was appointed
regimental medical officer (RMO) to the 10th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers
in 1915. At this time, fundamental restructuring of the military medical service on
the Western Front had two main effects: surgical capability was moved forward as
close to the front as possible and specialist stretcher bearers were trained to apply
emergency first aid at the place of injury and to triage casualties appropriately. The
specialist stretcher bearers were the equivalent of today’s combat medical
