Shellshock research

[andywalker]

My son is doing a third year dissertation at university and is trying to source any original records of military training in psychology after the end of the war.

If anyone can help this would be greatly appreciated.

[Ken Lees]

It doesn't exactly answer the question, but does he have a copy of the 1922 official report on Shellshock?

The title was "Report of the War Office Committee of Enquiry into "Shellshock" ", published in 1922.

Reprints are widely available.

Ken

[Emanuel1914]

Hi Andy,

I would suggest the Wellcome Institute in London and also suggest that he looks on Archive.org where he will find lots of good documents including a book: War Nuroses and Shell Shock: by F W Mott, London 1919, he can download this for free as a PDF. The link is here http://archive.org/details/warneurosesshell00mott

Also, The Care and Treatment of Mental Diseases and War Neuroses (Shell Shock) in the British Army by Thomas W Salmon MD 1917 link here http://archive.org/details/caretreatmentofm00salmrich

Also Shell Shock and Other Neuropsychiatric Problems presented in five hundred and eight-nine case histories from the war literature of 1914-1918 Link here http://archive.org/details/shellshockothern00soutuoft

There is also a Wellcome film showing the impact of Shell-Shock on 18 British servicemen http://archive.org/details/WarNeurosesNetleyHospital1917-wellcome

The Imperial War Museum should have documents in their collection as should the National Army Museum.

If I think of anything else I will let you know.

I do remember a whole collection relating to shell shock patients being based in Surrey or Sussex but can't remember which institution holds them. Someone else may be able to help on this.

Always worth checking British Medical Association documents as well.

All the best,

Daniel.

[andywalker]

Thanks guys for your suggestions, we are in London next weekend and will check these out

Cheers

Andy

[MBrockway]

Although not the original sources you requested, Ben Shephard's A War of Nerves: Soldiers and psychiatrists 1914-1994 (Jonathan Cape, London, 2002) lists these official sources and also covers well the reaction of the medical profession to shell-shocked soldiers returning from the Front. It continues to give a thought-provoking tour of the development of military psychology in the Twentieth Century.

[jay dubaya]

Also I can recommend Peter Barham's ' Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War'

[seaforths]

Also I can recommend Peter Barham's ' Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War'

I was going to suggest this one too but Jay beat me to it!

[andywalker]

Thanks again I'm sure this will a great help

Andy

[andywalker]

Thanks he has been looking at these and finds them interesting

He would be particularly interested if you know when the RAMC started teaching psychology and neurology

Andy

[Phil Evans]

Andy,

You may find this link to the former library of the Gillies Archive, now housed at the University of Leeds useful: Click here or here

A bit of a trawl through, but I think that you will find Section 5 the most useful.

Phil

[MBrockway]

Thanks he has been looking at these and finds them interesting

He would be particularly interested if you know when the RAMC started teaching psychology and neurology

Andy

This is very well covered by Ben Shephard, which is basically a history of the development of military psychiatry, predominantly in the British and US armed services.

[andywalker]

Thank you very much Phil, that was a really helpful tip. He's found a history of the ramc in those collections that he hadn't seen before.

Andy