POW research. Can you help please?

[Sarahj]

Hi,

I'm a PhD student researching "The psychological legacy of captivity. Great War POWs in psychiatric care," and I'm hoping some of you may be able to help. 

My research aim is to deepen our understanding of the psychological legacy of captivity by integrating history, psychology, psychiatry, medical anthropology, and sociology. While existing research primarily emphasises shell shock, this study will address the lesser-explored mental health issues faced by Great War POWs, filling a gap compared to the extensive literature on Holocaust survivors and POWs from World War II and Vietnam. The initial focus is on POWs repatriated between 1914 and 1919, examining their experiences until 1930. The research will explore the mental health of POWs during and after WWI, societal perceptions of mental disorders, the effectiveness of psychiatric care, long-term psychological effects, reintegration, and the impact of social stigma on treatment outcomes. However, the most important aim is to return the memories and voices of these forgotten men.

Basically, I'm looking for information regarding POWs who returned from the camps suffering from any mental illness/issues related to their captivity and how they coped with life back in the UK. I'm especially interested in those who were repatriated via D block at Netley or who had to spend time in asylums to receive treatment.  These men, suffering from the invisible trauma of captivity, are often overlooked in the histories and deserve to be brought back into light. They were not silent by choice but rather silenced by a society that misunderstood their suffering and frequently penalised them for it.

Sarah

[FROGSMILE]

On 20/10/2024 at 17:19, Sarahj said:

Hi,

I'm a PhD student researching "The psychological legacy of captivity. Great War POWs in psychiatric care," and I'm hoping some of you may be able to help. 

My research aim is to deepen our understanding of the psychological legacy of captivity by integrating history, psychology, psychiatry, medical anthropology, and sociology. While existing research primarily emphasises shell shock, this study will address the lesser-explored mental health issues faced by Great War POWs, filling a gap compared to the extensive literature on Holocaust survivors and POWs from World War II and Vietnam. The initial focus is on POWs repatriated between 1914 and 1919, examining their experiences until 1930. The research will explore the mental health of POWs during and after WWI, societal perceptions of mental disorders, the effectiveness of psychiatric care, long-term psychological effects, reintegration, and the impact of social stigma on treatment outcomes. However, the most important aim is to return the memories and voices of these forgotten men.

Basically, I'm looking for information regarding POWs who returned from the camps suffering from any mental illness/issues related to their captivity and how they coped with life back in the UK. I'm especially interested in those who were repatriated via D block at Netley or who had to spend time in asylums to receive treatment.  These men, suffering from the invisible trauma of captivity, are often overlooked in the histories and deserve to be brought back into light. They were not silent by choice but rather silenced by a society that misunderstood their suffering and frequently penalised them for it.

Sarah

Hello @Sarahj,

Welcome to the forum.  I’ve read your plea with interest and it reminds me of a study into post traumatic stress disorder.  On reflection I think you will probably have a tough time finding personal accounts given the passage of time and societal attitudes to mental health back in that period.

As you haven’t mentioned it I must ask if you have contacted the Imperial War Museum yet?  They have extensive archives from WW1 there including some audio tapes, although I don’t know if any of the men’s accounts refer to captivity.

There are also several books that were published focusing on the experiences of WW1 prisoners of war, some of which are well rated.  See book images below.

Another source might be relevant archives from Britain’s insane asylums such as Canehill Hospital and Broadmoor.

There may also be relevant details in the Royal Army Medical Corps Muniments Collection RAMC (via the Wellcome Trust), plus those parts that were returned to the Army Medical Services Museum - which in 2016 changed its name to the Museum of Military Medicine - at Keogh Barracks
Mytchett Place Road
Mytchett  
Surrey, GU12 5RQ.

A more difficult source, but one that might add breadth to your study, would be German records from towns local to the POW camp sites, where you might get the perspective of POW camp guards.  I did some photo interpretation for one of these some years ago.  It is common to find individuals there who speak quite good English nowadays.

I wish you well with your endeavours.

1.https://www.iwm.org.uk/research/research-facilities

2.https://wellcomecollection.org/works/xqc9qs4x

3. https://www.museumofmilitarymedicine.org.uk

4.https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/and-bert-s-gone-syphilitic-the-real-tragedies-behind-the-cane-hill-hospital-memorial-at-croydon/

5.https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/cases-of-insanity-revealed-in-the-pension-records/

images via websearch.

Edited 4 hours ago by FROGSMILE

[Michelle Young]

Although this book isn’t about POW experiences, it does mention D Block. (Other booksellers are available) 

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31998027726&dest=gbr&ref_=ps_ggl_10939332144&cm_mmc=ggl-_-UK_Shopp_Textbookstandard-_-product_id=UK9780300125115USED-_-keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgpLLodyhiQMVjI5QBh3y5QfFEAQYASABEgLEJfD_BwE

[Sarahj]

3 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

Although this book isn’t about POW experiences, it does mention D Block. (Other booksellers are available) 

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31998027726&dest=gbr&ref_=ps_ggl_10939332144&cm_mmc=ggl-_-UK_Shopp_Textbookstandard-_-product_id=UK9780300125115USED-_-keyword=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgpLLodyhiQMVjI5QBh3y5QfFEAQYASABEgLEJfD_BwE

Hi Michelle,

thank you for this. It's an excellent book

[DavidOwen]

I don't know if you have looked at The National Archives (TNA) at all so here is a basic search of their archives for anything relating to repatriated POWs and Mental (Health)

Search results: prisoner of war repatriated mental | The National Archives

[Sarahj]

4 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

Hello @Sarahj,

Welcome to the forum.  I’ve read your plea with interest and it reminds me of a study into post traumatic stress disorder.  On reflection I think you will probably have a tough time finding personal accounts given the passage of time and societal attitudes to mental health back in that period.

As you haven’t mentioned it I must ask if you have contacted the Imperial War Museum yet?  They have extensive archives from WW1 there including some audio tapes, although I don’t know if any of the men’s accounts refer to captivity.

There are also several books that were published focusing on the experiences of WW1 prisoners of war, some of which are well rated.  See book images below.

Another source might be relevant archives from Britain’s insane asylums such as Canehill Hospital and Broadmoor.

There may also be relevant details in the Royal Army Medical Corps Muniments Collection RAMC (via the Wellcome Trust), plus those parts that were returned to the Army Medical Services Museum - which in 2016 changed its name to the Museum of Military Medicine - at Keogh Barracks
Mytchett Place Road
Mytchett  
Surrey, GU12 5RQ.

A more difficult source, but one that might add breadth to your study, would be German records from towns local to the POW camp sites, where you might get the perspective of POW camp guards.  I did some photo interpretation for one of these some years ago.  It is common to find individuals there who speak quite good English nowadays.

I wish you well with your endeavours.

1.https://www.iwm.org.uk/research/research-facilities

2.https://wellcomecollection.org/works/xqc9qs4x

3. https://www.museumofmilitarymedicine.org.uk

4.https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/and-bert-s-gone-syphilitic-the-real-tragedies-behind-the-cane-hill-hospital-memorial-at-croydon/

5.https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/world-war-i-articles/cases-of-insanity-revealed-in-the-pension-records/

images via websearch.

Hi Frogsmile,

wow! Thanks for all your suggestions. There are a couple of books you mention that I hadn't come across. I have been in touch with the IWM and hope to be able to spend time in their research rooms soon. I'm at the National Archives so often my family think I've moved in!  The Museum of Military Medicine is on my radar, it's not too far from Combat Stress HQ so a visit will definitely be worthwhile. Must admit I hadn't considered the German records, but those will be worth a look. Dad was Army, and I grew up over there, so the language won't be an issue. 

 

[rolt968]

Welcome to the forum.

I hope you won't mind if I ask. To which faculty/ university school is your research connected? I am asking because if your work is realted to a medical faculty, you may be able to get access to records which would probably not be made available to others. (I am not sure how open patient records would be to other researchers.)

RM

[FROGSMILE]

29 minutes ago, Sarahj said:

Hi Frogsmile,

wow! Thanks for all your suggestions. There are a couple of books you mention that I hadn't come across. I have been in touch with the IWM and hope to be able to spend time in their research rooms soon. I'm at the National Archives so often my family think I've moved in!  The Museum of Military Medicine is on my radar, it's not too far from Combat Stress HQ so a visit will definitely be worthwhile. Must admit I hadn't considered the German records, but those will be worth a look. Dad was Army, and I grew up over there, so the language won't be an issue. 

 

I’m glad to help a little Sarah and wasn’t sure how much you already knew, so chucked everything in that I could think of.  I’m hoping that the Wellcome Collection Trust RAMC records will have some useful stuff for you.  As well as official records, quite a number of military medicos bequeathed their personal diaries and other papers.  Hopefully they might have a bibliography relating to mental health to give you a useful steer.  I imagine that the men who were maimed and received reconstructive facial surgery will prove a rich source of mental ill health that you can tap from among those who had formerly been prisoners of war.  Sir Harold Ghillies and Sidcup Hospital refers.

As regards Germany, in terms of WW1 records it’s something of an untapped resource apparently.  Largely because so few Brits are good with foreign languages.  One, or other, of the POW books will contain a list of all the camps and you can perhaps pick out one locale that best suits you.  Several of them were enormous and local old soldiers (retired veterans) from previous wars, etc. served as guards under the German POW system.  Interestingly a majority of the camps were coincidentally within what later became the Northern Germany AOR of the British Army of the Rhine after both world wars.  Some of the locations have museums with relevant material.

Good luck and please do let us know how you get along.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by FROGSMILE

[Sarahj]

7 minutes ago, rolt968 said:

Welcome to the forum.

I hope you won't mind if I ask. To which faculty/ university school is your research connected? I am asking because if your work is realted to a medical faculty, you may be able to get access to records which would probably not be made available to others. (I am not sure how open patient records would be to other researchers.)

RM

Hi Rolt,

My research is under the Centre for Historical Research at the University of Wolverhampton.  We don't have a medical faculty as such, although we do have Schools of Nursing and Psychology. Some patient records are available at the National Archives in the MH 106/2102 files but mainly that side of the research is going to involve a lot of time in lots of different archives trawling through files. 

[Michelle Young]

There’s also Spike Island by Philip Hoare which deals with Netley Hospital. I’ve not read it for some years, but I assume it mentions D block. 

[rolt968]

6 minutes ago, Sarahj said:

Hi Rolt,

My research is under the Centre for Historical Research at the University of Wolverhampton.  We don't have a medical faculty as such, although we do have Schools of Nursing and Psychology. Some patient records are available at the National Archives in the MH 106/2102 files but mainly that side of the research is going to involve a lot of time in lots of different archives trawling through files. 

Thank you,

I may be straying away from the main thread of your research. I know you have particularly mentioned Netley, but is there anything to be found from/ about the large "civilian" mental hospitals?

RM

[FROGSMILE]

6 minutes ago, rolt968 said:

Thank you,

I may be straying away from the main thread of your research. I know you have particularly mentioned Netley, but is there anything to be found from/ about the large "civilian" mental hospitals?

RM

I’ve suggested looking into the Canehill and Broadmoor Hospitals archives, upthread RM 👍

Edited 3 hours ago by FROGSMILE

[rolt968]

35 minutes ago, FROGSMILE said:

I’ve suggested looking into the Canehill and Broadmoor Hospitals archives, upthread RM 👍

Apologies, I missed that.

One of the large Scottish mental hospitals used to be quite close to where I live. I was wondering if there was anything useful in their archives. (Not that he was a PoW,  a burial of a former RND man with an MM in a local cemetery whose last residence was the mental hospital has intrigued for some time.)

RM

[FROGSMILE]

52 minutes ago, rolt968 said:

Apologies, I missed that.

One of the large Scottish mental hospitals used to be quite close to where I live. I was wondering if there was anything useful in their archives. (Not that he was a PoW,  a burial of a former RND man with an MM in a local cemetery whose last residence was the mental hospital has intrigued for some time.)

RM

Yes I think the wider the net is cast among post war mental hospitals the better, as we know that a majority of men back then suffered in silence (or were aggressive to their loved ones) so to get sufficient accounts to make a decent study might prove difficult.  The more archives mined the better I suspect.

Edited 1 hour ago by FROGSMILE