Shellshocked Britain Oct 2014

[John Gilinsky]

Suzie Grogan a London England based writer in late 2014 had her book "Shellshocked Britain..." published. Has anyone read this book and can they give indepth comments on it?

Thanks!

John

[CGM]

No, and very sadly I am not able to make this lecture:

Shell Shocked Britain: The First World War’s Legacy for Britain’s Mental Health

An illustrated talk with guest speaker Suzie Grogan, followed by a Questions and Answers session and author book signing.

Wednesday 25th February 2015: (7.30 - 9.00pm),

The Forum Southend, Elmer Square, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 1NS.

Suzie Grogan’s talk is based on her new book Shell Shocked Britain, which looks at the impact of the First World War on the men, women and children who survived it. How did those four years of conflict affect the way we view the mental health of those traumatised by their experience of war, whether directly or indirectly?

The author was inspired to write this book when she discovered that her shell shocked great-uncle Alfred Hardiman had killed his ex-girlfriend and himself in 1922. His act sent shock waves through his community and through the generations of his own family, but it was not an isolated case. Troops in the trenches endured mud, blood and bombardment. Their families on the Home Front experienced fear, grief at bereavement and the anxieties caused by their first experience of war from the air and the outbreak of Spanish influenza. When the Armistice was signed the after effects of the war continued and the population of Britain had to come to terms with a society changed forever.

This talk examines some of the tragedies with their roots in the 1914-1918 conflict, details the trauma many experienced and examines how events reverberate down the generations – to this day.

If anyone else is interested ?

[John Gilinsky]

Thanks CGM for your consideration in notifying others who read GWF posts of this imminent book related talk by the author. Unfortunately I am frozen to my desk(s)/monitor(s) - [ er... possibly literally!]. Hopefully someone can go to her talk and give us a brief report. I am more interested though in someone who is more than mildly interested in "shellshock" and/or military mental health history and social/family history and who can give us some in-depth feedback after they have read the book itself.

Tx again,

John

[David Filsell]

I wish the book every success, but doesanyone know if she has any specialist qualification in the subject of mental health or, more specifically, shell shock. I ask only because there have been a number of very poor efforts on this topic in recent years.

[CGM]

David,

A bit more from Southend :

Speaker profile:

Suzie Grogan is a London-born writer and researcher publishing regularly on mental health and social history.

A law graduate with post-graduate research qualifications, Suzie’s first book, Dandelions and Bad Hair Days: Untangling lives Affected by Depression & Anxiety was published in 2012.

Married with two children she lives in Somerset.

Shell Shocked Britain was published in October 2014 by Pen & Sword Books (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk) priced at £19.99. ISBN no. 9781781592656

For details visit her website www.suziegrogan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/shellshockedbritain or follow @ShellShockedGB on Twitter.

CGM

[David Filsell]

Thanks.

David

[John Gilinsky]

Surely someone must have SEEN, flipped through, skimmed this book. Maybe someone has even read it!

[Bernard_Lewis]

Prove what?

Bernard