Trauma and the First World War

We are currently embarking on a further round of our AHRC-funded research into the First World War. Further information can be found at the Centre for Hidden Histories website (http://hiddenhistorieswwi.ac.uk/). We are conducting a series of workshops around the country (Birmingham, Omagh, Cardiff and Glasgow) to encourage local groups interested in history to develop projects to explore aspects of the psychological consequences of the First World War.

There has been a lot of work among local groups, amateur and professional historians and others regarding the First World War over the last few years of the centenary; but the war did not end on 11 November 1918. Apart from the war itself continuing in Russia and eastern Europe until 1922 the impact of the war lasted for many years. Soldiers, doctors and nurses who came home from the fighting were significantly affected by their experiences. Many were traumatised by their experiences and could not easily either forget what happened or deal with the transition to civilian life. There are many stories of the problems people faced, some were unable to work due to an inability to concentrate on tasks, others became violent with their families, some had to be kept in asylums for many years (some were still incarcerated in the 1960s) – and some used ‘shell shock’ or some similar reason as mitigation for committing crimes. We should also not forget those who stayed at home and had to adapt to very different circumstances, whether it was a ‘stranger’ coming back to the home or women who had to give up their jobs.

Information about the longer term effects of the war on those who took part and on the community as a whole can be found from a number of sources. Local newspapers have a lot of information, local and national archives in museums and libraries can help, older people may have memories of people they knew when they were younger who told them about life in the 1920s. There are also books and films about the period, whether created by participants or others they are information about the period.

We are encouraging local groups to conduct research into their local area, whether it is about specific individuals who were involved, or just about life in their town or village after the war. We are inviting people to participate in our workshops, which take place:

23 March Birmingham

22 May Omagh

5-6 July Cardiff

30-31 August Glasgow

We do not have full details of the events, but if you are interested in receiving further information once it is available, then please e-mail me.