I've been reading fairly extensively about this the last few days ... after seeing on a death certificate that "shell shock " was a secondary cause of death ... I don't believe ( though I don't know for sure ! ) that there had been any kind of therapy .... the man was expected to just "carry on " .... so many soldiers were in the same boat ... I had a relative who was keep away from us when we were kids ... they hid him away ... if I knew then what I know now ... I hope I could have made a difference in his life ... it's all just so unfair to me ! but those times weren't these times - though even now therapies don't seem to be helping the men who really need it ! I just wondered if you had any ideas about it ....
I found this local (Trinidad): CENTENO, LEON HOPE Initials: L H Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Second Lieutenant Regiment/Service: Suffolk Regiment Unit Text: 4th Bn. Age: 30 Date of Death: 06/07/1916 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Near South East corner of churchyard. Cemetery: FELIXSTOWE (SS. PETER AND PAUL) CHURCHYARD and his cause of death as reported in the local annual yearbook - Franklin's Yearbook - 1919 : On 6/7/16. succumbed to shell shock received in action in Feb 1916
Was it a secondary condition Jerome ? ..... I mean - did he have more than one cause of death ? You probably don't know if it was in the year book
Franklin's was quite good in giving details eg "died later of wounds", "malaria", "accidently killed", "drinking a corrosive liquid" etc.. I can't help but wonder if they did not practice voluntary censorship for some "socially" unacceptable causes of death. I guess only his regiment or the hospital may have the actual cause of death recorded.
Mine was on his death certificate ... actually it caught me by surprise ... I hadn't seen it on a death certificate before !
Annie, have you seen the film clips that crop up from time to time on tv showing the effects of shell shock? Men who can't walk because they can't control their legs etc. I see that there are some on You Tube. Fortunately, I've never been "under the guns" myself. However, one day I was visiting West Lulworth Church which is situated very close to the army range and it was a firing day. I was outside the church when the guns went off and it was most unpleasent feeling. Apart from the noise, it was as if I could feel a blast coming towards me from the the chuch tower. Inside the church you could feel the whole fabric of the building shaking. I had a quick look around and left pronto! That's nothing compared to what these poor souls suffered but it's a miracle that every soldier didn't suffer badly from shell shock. No modern high density foam ear plugs for them to use, eh? http://www.southernlife.org.uk/dorset/lulworth_holytrinity.htm
A soldier admitted to the Mount Dore Hospital, Bournemouth, suffering from shell shock had a restless night. Next morning the nurse noticed that some of his hair had turned white. Not all of his hair but just a patch on one side. How strange! I just hope that he made a full recovery.
With the size and intensity of Artillery barrages in WW1, I have read that the barrages were described by some as Hurricanes. It is a wonder that millions did not suffer severe trauma, and that does not include the insanity of the infantry battles of the era. If Modern war is hell, then what was WW1? The expectations that were placed on these people were immense, and they were as said by others above were often looked upon as failures and so on for just being ill or suffering exhaustion. The worst of the hangovers from the 19th century was WW1 and the attitudes of so many people.
