Use of Croquet as therapy for shell shock

[Old trousers]

Chums,
 

I’ve recently come across photos of groups of soldiers playing improvised games of croquet, both on active service and back in the UK. 
 

The tabs suggest that it is being used as a therapy for shell shock. 

Could anyone recommend where I could pursue research on this fascinating aspect of WW1 medical treatment ? 
 

 

Thanks in advance 

Paul 
 
 

[Ron Clifton]

Croquet is sometimes seen as a gentle game for Victorian young ladies, often in vicarage gardens. The reality is that it is one of the most mentally vicious of sports, as many who have played it can testify!

I once had a flat in a theological college, and one of the perks was the use of their croquet lawn during the vacations, when I was the only resident student. I used it so much that the gardener sometimes used to have to mow it round me.

Ron

[Madmeg]

it's not so much about the winning as making sure the other chappie loses isn;t it?

[knittinganddeath]

A quick search of the Australian newspaper archives (trove.nla.gov.au) suggests that doctors at the time believed that that simple work and outdoor leisure activities usefully occupied both the body and mind. Work that was too mechanical was considered dangerous in the sense that it allowed a wounded man too much time for "dwelling on his gruesome past." 

The article "Treatment of Shell Shock" , published on 31 January 1919 in The Swan Express of Western Australia, details the proposal of an Australian doctor for setting up a convalescent soldiers' home there. He says that his plan draws on knowledge of treatment from Britain. "Games are of value....For the cases sufficiently recovered a small gymnasium, a cricket pitch, tennis court, croquet lawn, and bowling green would be so valuable that they might be included under the heading of necessities. Do not allow this list to mislead you into believing that this is a home for games—a sort of training ground for would-be sports. It will certainly be a training ground,but its one and only object will be to equip a man as thoroughly and quickly as possible with a sound mind in a sound body, and so enable him to take his rightful place in the community as a useful contented citizen."

Also of interest may be the article "War Hysteria and the Wonders of Psychotherapy" from 1920 which talks about the medical classification of shell shock and ways to treat it. There is a brief mention of a hospital with a croquet lawn and other sporting facilities.

It doesn't seem to me that croquet per se was considered a treatment. Presumably, playing cricket or lawn bowling or billiards would have a similar effect. Rather croquet and other games provided physical exercise and mental distraction, which were both considered necessary for a man to properly recover.

Edited 7 September , 2021 by knittinganddeath

[Old trousers]

Knittinganddeath, 
Thank you - just what I needed 

Paul 
 

Thanks too Ron and Madmeg !

[Old trousers]

A while ago I came across a reference to croquet being used as a therapy for recovering soldiers. Has anyone pointers as to how I might further research into this area.

Thanks in advance 
 

[seaJane]

How interesting! My immediate thoughts are https://www.croquet.org.uk/ or https://www.croquetengland.org.uk/ .

I have a bibliography on medicine and healthcare in the Great War pinned at the top of this sub-forum. It includes items on rehabilitation and so forth, although I think it won't be easy to find a single search term to call them up. If you find any and they have online versions shown, it may be worth searching the text for croquet.

sJ

[DavidOwen]

Well FMP have over 3000 records in the newspapers 1914-1919 which match "wounded" & "croquet".

A glance at the British Medical Journal archives doesn't show anything relevant in the period 1914 - 1919.

It would, of course, be a great means of keeping able bodied wounded soldiers busy.

[PRC]

Given the sheer number of halls, country houses and vicarage that were offered up as auxiliary hospitals and convalescent homes, is it not more likely that the facility for croquet was on hand, and was then seen to work, rather than anyone actively campaigning for the sport as a therapy. As these places often relied financially on public donations they would have had to work with what they had rather than investing in such new leisure equipment.

Strenuous enough to be a mild work-out, good for hand-eye co-ordination and mental agility, outside in th fresh air, and competitive enough to engage interest - knowing the British soldier I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't the odd wager riding on the outcome as well And when you think of the alternatives then either in the early recuperation period they might prove too strenuous for newly knitting muscles, bones and flesh or with something like golf probably require more grounds than was available. And with my own post-op therapy at one stage in my life being to get back -up on my feet asap and to quickly return to the 2 hours a day walking, I can't tell how soon that first 20 to 30 minutes could become boring and de-motivating until you reached the point where there was the possibility of somewhere new!

Some of the pictures posted in the Desford Hall thread earlier in the year had the inmates playing croquest both in the grounds of the hall and on daytrips to other local mansions.

Cheers,
Peter

Edited 28 July by PRC
Typos

[knittinganddeath]

See my old post on your old thread:

 

[DavidOwen]

Threads have been merged to avoid duplication of effort

[Old trousers]

Feeling very foolish as I had completely misremembered posting before. 
Thanks for the reminder and thanks to the recent posts - very useful.