Shell-Shocked British Army Veterans in Ireland, 1918-39: A Difficult Homecoming

Description

With a focus on mental illness, Shell-shocked British Army veterans in Ireland provides the first in-depth investigation of disabled Great War veterans in Ireland. The book is a result of five years of researching previously untouched archival sources including psychiatric records of former patients otherwise closed to the public. The remit of the work contributes to various historiographical fields including disability history, the social history of medicine, the cultural history of modern war, the history of psychiatry and Irish studies. It also seeks to extend the scope of the First World War with an emphasis on how war-induced disability and trauma continued to affect large numbers of ex-servicemen beyond the official cessation of the conflict. -- .

Michael Robinson is a Leverhulme Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Liverpool -- .

'Michael Robinson's study is a welcome addition to the study of war-related mental disabilities. [...] Without whitewashing British failures and short comings, this is a balanced study that will be a welcome addition to scholars interested in the detailed history of mentally disturbed Great War veterans. The depth and breadth of research is a model for how to approach such a subject.' H-Disability -- .