The effects of war on demobed soldiers.

[Duncan]

I came across this today, regarding the effect the war had on men returned to civilian life....

Philip Gibbs, noted war correspondent, writing in Realities of War in 1920 was concerned about how men who had lived through the horrors of trench warfare would adapt to the supposed normality of peacetime, civilian life:

"They were subject to queer moods,tempers, fits of profound depression, alternating with a restless desire for pleasure. Many were bitter in their speech, violent in opinion, frightening ... Our men living in holes in the earth like ape-men were taught the ancient code of the jungle law, to trap down human beasts in No Mans Land, to jump upon their bodies in the trenches, to kill quietly, silently ... It is apt to become a habit of mind. It may surge up again when there are no Germans present, but some old woman behind an open till..."

Does enyone know of any other research, websites, threads on this subject? I'm surprised there wasn't a huge surge in cases of mental ill-health, violence etc in the 1920's. Was there any research done?

Duncan.

[Jim Clay]

Hi Duncan

You might take a look at Aftermath which has something to say about A Land Fit For Heroes, Disenchantment, etc.

Regards

Jim

[Boreenatra]

Duncan. We had in Hornchurch a branch of the National Federation Of Discharged and Demobilised Sailors and Soldiers ( N.F.D.S.& S) It originally was only for O.R.'s but was later opened up to ex officers. It had several objectives.

1 To remedy inequalities and injustices in the matter of service pensions

2 To watch over the welfare of disabled men

3 To asist with the rehabilitation of ex-service men in civillian life

4 To protect the interests of the widows and orphans of the fallen men.

In our area they also tried to secure temporary housing for those returning and finding housing shortages, especially for the men who could not work, and also to try and find allotments and gardens for them. They also tried to find suitable men to sit on the United Services Fund Committee, and the new Local Pensions Committee. It also tried with a good deal of success to be free of party politics, trying to use it's influence to be impartial in cases of conflict with other authorities. I think I may have posted this pic before but these are the lads from the local branch of the N.F.D.S.& S. Regards Steve.

[Paul Hodges]

Joanna Bourke's book Dismembering the Male has quite a bit on this sort of thing, as well as its main focus on physical damage and disabilities.

Peter Barham's Forgotten Lunatics of the Great War covers the postwar mental breakdown experience well.

For some research on sentiments very close to your Gibb quote though try to dig out an excellent article by Jon Lawrence - "Forging a Peacable Kingdom: War, Violence and Fear of Brutalization in Post First World War Britain", Journal of Modern History, Vol 75, No 3 (September 2004), pp577-89.

Quite a lot of stuff on a fascinating area.

[harribobs]

My grandfather certainly suffered, he spent six months sat in a back room playing patience, afterwards he would never discuss what he'd been through. When he was reminded of it or was cajoled into talking about it, he would then have the most horrific nightmares

These were the days before PTS was recognised and the stiff upper lip was expected ( even for ORs)