Physically Disabled and Mentally Traumatised Veterans

[M_J_Robinson_Dur]

Hey everyone!

I am currently doing my post-grad History dissertation at Durham University, and I'm interested in exploring the stories of Irish soldiers who returned to soceity with either physical or emotional injuries. I was hoping you guys could recommend some books/studies that you may have already read on these areas. Any study you can recomend, regardless of the focus on nationality, would be welcomed as I hope to compare whether the Irish veterans' experiences differed from studies into other studies that have already been published.

These are the books I have read so far (admittedly, top heavy on the mental rather than physical injuries of soldiers) -

A War of Nerves: Soldiers and Psychiatrists, 1914-18 - Ben Shepard

Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War - Peter Barham

Shellshock - Wendy Holden

Shell Shock: Traumatic Neurosis and the British Soldiers of the First World War - Peter Leese

Any books you can recomend will be hugely appreciated

Michael Robinson.

[Guest]

Hey everyone!

I am currently doing my post-grad History dissertation at Durham University, and I'm interested in exploring the stories of Irish soldiers who returned to soceity with either physical or emotional injuries. I was hoping you guys could recommend some books/studies that you may have already read on these areas. Any study you can recomend, regardless of the focus on nationality, would be welcomed as I hope to compare whether the Irish veteran's experiences differed from studies into other studies that have already been published.

These are the books I have read so far (admittedly, top heavy on the mental rather than pyshical injuries of soldiers) -

A War of Nerves: Soldiers and Psychiatrists, 1914-18 - Ben Shepard

Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War - Peter Barham

Shellshock - Wendy Holden

Shell Shock: Traumatic Neurosis and the British Soldiers of the First World War - Peter Leese

Any books you can recomend will be hugely appreciated

Michael Robinson.

Hi Michael. Welcome... there is a current thread in the Others section led by Robert dunlop..... . Link is here.

[M_J_Robinson_Dur]

Thanks Martin that link is incredibly useful for the mental aspect of my study. Hopefully someone will be able to foreward some studies into the psychical aspects. It seems to me that there is an uneven representation of the two types of injuries in the historiography.

[Guest]

Thanks Martin that link is incredibly useful for the mental aspect of my study. Hopefully someone will be able to foreward some studies into the psychical aspects. It seems to me that there is an uneven representation of the two types of injuries in the historiography.

Have a look at The Medical War - British Military Medicine in the First World War by Mark Harrison (Prof of Medical History at Oxford University) Prof Harrison also quotes from the History of the Great War - Medical Services : Casualties and Medical Statistics of the War by Mitchell and Smith. Regards MG

[seaJane]

Hi Michael

when you write "psychically", do you mean "physically"? Not that I want to be picky, but you have one in your subject line and the other in the body of your message, and there's quite a difference.

Anyway, a few suggestions:

It might be worth contacting the Wellcome Library for the History of Medicine in London to see what they can suggest: http://library.wellcome.ac.uk/contact.html

If it doesn't have it in stock your university library ought to be able to get the complete History of the Great War from Official Papers - Medical Series (there are 12 vols. in all) via inter-library loan. Not being at work at the moment (I have 10 out of the 12 in "my" library, I can't identify which volume would be most useful.

There's a chapter in Lyn MacDonald's oral history "Roses of No Man's Land" about facial reconstruction.

seaJane

[M_J_Robinson_Dur]

Yes, I mean physically. What a schoolboy error!!

Thanks Jane, I will follow up your suggestions!

Michael

[seaJane]

No trouble. Drop me a PM if there's anything else I can help with.

[ph0ebus]

I may have a useful book for you. Does it matter that it was written in the 1940s? I also need to find it amongst the stacks.

Daniel

[Terry_Reeves]

Michael

This book is worth reading, I have a copy myself and it is very informative:

http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520220089

TR

[M_J_Robinson_Dur]

Thanks Terry that looks perfect.

'Poebus', I read 2 books from the early 1900s yesterday so anything as recent as the 1940s would be welcomed!

Thanks again folks,

Michael

[ph0ebus]

Eureka, I found it!

The book is by R.D. Gillespie, M.D., entitled "Psychological Effects of War on Citizen and Soldier", published 12 March 1942 by WW Norton and Company. I have no idea how common or available it is..I just happened on a copy in the thrift shop for a pittance, and snatched it up.

I hope you can find a copy and that it is helpful.

-Daniel

[M_J_Robinson_Dur]

No found it with ease Phoebus and have just purchased it on Amazon.

Thanks very much!

[ph0ebus]

Fab! FYI it has a pretty robust bibliography so that may provide more books that you may find helpful.

Keep us posted!

Daniel

[John Gilinsky]

Hello. Northern Ireland like the UK used general hospitals, convalescent homes and post war from 1918 onwards a special hospitals closely assocaited with Irish veterans generally and which stately home (former estate mansion) was still standing at least as of 2008 or so. I think at that time there was talk of it being torn down. I believe the home was part of a semi-distant(?) suburb of Belfast but which is now part of regular Belfast so to speak. The semi-rural nature of a large estate of course at the time and post-war facilitating a restful environment. I am sure that some Northern Irish members will know the mansion and proper name that I am referring to. Check out veterans and returned soldier association meeting minutes, resolutions regarding shellshock and physical stuff as well (such as TB and amputees) with secondary or related mental health issues derived from war experiences.

Hope this helps you out as you specifically mentioned the Irish.

The major Dublin newspapers also have numerous references to various hospitals for shellshock.

John

[M_J_Robinson_Dur]

Thanks for that personal insight John. I have only just started my research into Ulster so that advice is greatly appreciated.

My university library has a complete digitisation of Irish newspapers from 1900 which is a fantastic research resource for my project.

Thanks again - Michael