Reading accounts of men going mad during and after their experiences in Burma I am wondering what sort of help they received at the time and when they got back. Are there any records about this I wonder? I have read that when they did get back, family life was pretty impossible for many, and the prevailing wisdom was not to talk about the horrors they experienced.
Yes, there are records on this. The official history volumes of the RAMC cover psychological problems, as does R.H.Ahrenfeldt's Psychiatry in the British Army. Those are the basic published official and semi-official works, and much more has been written since. If you want and are able, you can also look up the war diaries of medical units, hospitals etc at the PRO at Kew. We have a whole thread somewhere about PTSD, and there is much material and many suggestions there. I don't know about 'impossible for many.' It was impossible for a few, difficult for quite a few. If men talked about it at all, they tended to do so only with their old mates. Veterans seldom talked about the war to their wives, children, or civilian psychiatrists ('trick cyclists'). The veterans felt they wouldn't understand, and often they were right about that.
I've not seen a great deal about the psychological side of this discussed, nor specific books on it - mostly buried or forgotten - old-school "grow a backbone, lad" attitude - my dad made notes about polyneuritis that he suffered post being flown out and was so concerned that this might be "psychological" decided to "lose" the records as he was being transferred with them... it was only post-war he discovered what it meant... This is a commonly discussed medical link but not searched it for the psychological side of events... http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/CrisisFleeting/default.htm
As has been expressed already, this side of the war was kept hidden by both the Military Authorities and the victims themselves. Two centres who dealt with returning Far East POW's found their attentions being drawn to the psychological effects of captivity far more than was first realised or expected. Their focus was primarily to deal with the more obvious physical problems and of course disease. Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton: http://www.stgeorges.nhs.uk/aboutqmhhistory.asp Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine: http://www.captivememories.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=61 One of the charities I support is Combat Stress, their work is invaluable and crucial to service personnel suffering with PTSD. http://www.combatstress.org.uk
Thanks for the links... I have read the one provided by HC before...one of the most interesting reports I have come across. It appears that there are no cases of psychiatric illness in the men examined after leaving Burma in this report. There seems to be a lot of emphasis put on morale. I guess it is like in Catch 22 . You would have to become a bit mad after having gone through such terrible conditions, but perhaps you were not classified as such as it would be entirely normal to be affected adversely. Extraordinary. How could you not not be affected by PTSD then or now? I will look at the other links soon. I can see a diversion about to happen... Re the charity... Will consider putting any proceeds from future book publication to this. However, all treatment and help should be provided by the government, surely? I am appalled that such charities have to exist.
Just looked at the previous thread.... I had not realised it was such a contentious subject..apologies for raising it again. The Catch 22 reference was even there put in by Za Rodhinu!
No need to apologise zahonado. Some people have different reactions to what they experience during war, nobody can ever be sure how they will cope or deal with such situations. POW's in Rangoon Jail for instance, some of the most tough an burly soldiers would fold mentally under the strain of being a prisoner, while men of less physique would battle through. This subject is not just about the mental toughness of a soldier, but more about what he wants for himself and his inner core as a human being. I have not expressed myself too well here I know, hopefully you get my drift.
When I first left school in the early 70s I worked for the Coop in one of there large department stores, I had a floor manager who was very thin gaunt and had stark white hair, He was a miserable old bugger as a young 16 year old I viewed him, I later found out he was a survivor of the Burma death rail and was captured during the fall of Singapore, he later unfortunately took his own life and it was cited later he could not live with the turmoil of surviving as he lost many comrades in the camps.
That's just reminded me of something dad said I'd neglected to add to my notes re survivor guilt... quite a common issue... one of the things he commented on was why did he survive when so many of his comrades failed to return... only six of his platoon of 40 got back to Indawgyi that he knew off and after being flown out he only saw two of the previously flown out injured making it 8 known survivors...
