combat medical technician

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