Breakdown

[Old Tom]

The Times says, yesterday's paper, that this is excellent. Its sub-title 'The Crisis of Shell Shock on the Somme 1916' suggests that it should be. Some years ago one of our members tried to quantify the problem but I lost track of that attempt. The reviewer Lawrence James seems to pick out some aspects of the book with a prerevisionist flavour. eg Haig's overambitious and badly planned offensives and General Gough a bone headed martinet. However the main theme which deals with the causes of shell shock and its treatment in the context of the New Armies should be interesting.

It is published by Little, Brown, has 399 pages and costs £25. I thought it was worth bringing to wider notice.

Old Tom

[Knotty]

Out of interest there are a couple of reviews in today's papers,namely the Daily Mail and the Telegraph.

The DM are offering at £20, but on Amazon today it is only £17, very tempting

John

Hope I have not infringed any advertising rules, please delete this post if I have, it was not intentional.

[Steven Broomfield]

I can't find it online, but today's Tottygraph has a piece by Taylor Downing based on his book. It's interesting.

Only a true pedant would write to the editor, pointing out that the author's reference to the 14th London as a 'Pals' battalion was incorrect. So I've written.

[Guest]

I can't find it online, but today's Tottygraph has a piece by Taylor Downing based on his book. It's interesting.

Only a true pedant would write to the editor, pointing out that the author's reference to the 14th London as a 'Pals' battalion was incorrect. So I've written.

Yes I noticed that too. It only took three sentences before the first mistake.

Also the claim that

1. "They had orders not to take prisoners" is interesting. Really? Given the numbers taken it seems rather a lot of men didn't hear that order.

2. "Medical Officers were ordered not to show sympathy to shell shock victims" .... Really? It seems at odds with some of the contemporary evidence. I happened to be trawling the Guards Div Routine Orders making notes. One specifically addresses the treatment and classification of shell shock victims as "wounded". This was in early 1916 some months before the Somme of course.

The advert in the Torygraph reads in a very sensationalist way. Lots of fingerpointing at 'generals'. ..and some rather vague use of 'deaths', 'casualties' and 'losses' - the subtle differences are rather lost in the summary.

I assume the Crisis of Shell Shock was only a crisis 'on the Somme' as it is the anniversary in a few weeks. Odd that the crisis doesn't appear to have been anywhere else. I am sure it will be a revelation.