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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Colour-blindness


seaJane

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I've searched the Forum but am unable to find proof that being colour-blind automatically rendered someone unfit for service.

Not all the threads that a search on "colour-blind" (also checked with the spelling "color" and the word "blindness" just in case) pulled up looked relevant, so apologies if I have in fact missed something. There was one piece of anecdotal evidence that suggested "yes", but I'd like to be sure.

Can anyone help?

VMT

seaJane

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Told to me as a child, unproven, that color blind persons were in demand in the air force due to their ability to spot camouflage from the air.

khaki

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Yes, I've heard that too, but I think it may be more related to WW2.

I can imagine that it is a no-no for the RN (port and starboard lights, signal flags etc) but what about an infantryman?

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I've searched the Forum but am unable to find proof that being colour-blind automatically rendered someone unfit for service.

seaJane

seaJane,

I understand that Douglas Haig was colour blind, and despite being so was able to graduate from Sandhurst and enter the Army.

Regards,

LF

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Don't know about during the war but in the inter war period my father was turned down for Dartmouth where he had been offered a place leading to a commission in the RN Engineering branch because he had a rare form of colour blindness (he could distinguish red and green - an important factor in his long term career as an electrical engineer) but despite his OTC time etc the Navy was adamant. Of course had they not he would have been in the Navy in WW2, never met my mum and I wouldn't be the typing this! Subsequent medical advances have shown that it wasn't true colour blindness but an ability to see ever so slightly further into the ultra violet than most males (and a great many females) - something I have inherited - so that some of the test charts could be confusing. But the point is that ten years after WW1 colour blindness could still get you disqualified and not just as a deck officer..

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seaJane,

I understand that Douglas Haig was colour blind, and despite being so was able to graduate from Sandhurst and enter the Army.

Regards,

LF

I have come across accounts of officers using various wiles and stratagems to evade/circumvent the relevant tests

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I can only offer anecdotal evidence, but my grandfather was definitely colour blind (as was my father) and he served as a soldier in the Great War.

Gwyn

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Part of the problem is that there is a spectrum (no pun intended) of colour blindness ranging from only being able to see in monochrome (as was the case with one guy I worked with) to the other end to being able to see more shades than others (which as I can testify does not lead to marital harmony when choosing curtains etc). Anecdotal evidence about individuals doesn't really help that much unless we know what definition the forces were using and what tests they were applying.

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Anecdotal evidence about individuals doesn't really help that much unless we know what definition the forces were using and what tests they were applying.

Well, sorry. Jane asked whether colour blindness precluded service and I am saying that I know one person who wasn't precluded. At least I didn't just google.

I give up.

Gwyn

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Maybe my question is a bit naive, but what 'significant' difference would color blindness make to the average infantryman of 1914-18, I can imagine for someone using a map with blue and red lines, it would be important, but what else am I not considering?

khaki

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Maybe my question is a bit naive, but what 'significant' difference would color blindness make to the average infantryman of 1914-18, I can imagine for someone using a map with blue and red lines, it would be important, but what else am I not considering?

khaki

khaki,

I doubt that any infantryman would have been excluded from serving in WW1 due to his colour blindness, and probably 100 years ago, the average man would never have even been tested for any form of colour blindness.

As far as map reading goes, I am sure Douglas Haig looked at far more maps than the average soldier and his colour blindness did not seem to interfere with his serving in the Army.

The most common form of colour blindness seems to be red/green colour blindness, where that person has problems with shades of red and green rather than not being able to distinguish whole groups of colours, like the blues, browns, yellows, oranges etc.

Regards,

LF

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What are you insinuating ? I Google only when I know what I am looking for. Not at all in this case.

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