Distinguishing between Shell-shocked Veterans and Pauper Lunatics: The Ex-Services' Welfare Society and Mentally Wounded Veterans after the Great War

• Autores: Fiona Reid
• Localización: War in history, ISSN-e 1477-0385, ISSN 0968-3445, Vol. 14, Nº. 3, 2007, págs. 347-371
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article sets out to contribute to the growing debate on the treatment of shell-shocked men after the Great War. So far, the work of the voluntary sector in this sphere has been neglected but the Ex-Services' Welfare Society (ESWS), the charity dedicated to caring for shell-shocked men and their families, ensured that the plight of mentally wounded veterans achieved a high public profile during the 1920s. Initially the ESWS attempted to link the needs of the mentally wounded soldier with the wider issue of lunacy reform. This ensured a high level of publicity but also resulted in political controversy and a loss of support. By the mid-1920s the ESWS wanted to disassociate itself from lunacy reform. This benefited mentally wounded veterans in the short term but unwittingly cemented a clear distinction between psychologically damaged servicemen and `ordinary lunatics', and so failed to dispel the widespread misapprehension and misunderstanding which clouded attitudes towards mental illness in general.