Shell Shock In World War 1
Introduction
The trenches of World War 1 are generally known as a fairly rough environment, but how far have people seen into what truly goes in such lifestyles? What the soldiers had to tolerate, mentally and physically, is rightly astonishing. Many soldiers have told stories and written journals of their personal struggle in the heat of trench warfare, eventually resulting in the creation of a vivid picture telling us of the dreaded life in the trenches. First hand experiences and secondary sources have surely told us a strong and enduring story.
The trenches - What they were and why they were employed
Trenches are long, narrow, frequently zigzagged, ditches in the ground supported by beams of wood. These trenches were employed in World War 1 because they owned qualities paving way for advantages towards the soldiers who used them.
The system used for the trenches was quite complicated. Many linking lines of trenches formed distinctive layers obtaining particular purposes. These layers consisted of;
No Man’s Land – The space before enemy lines. Given the name due to the …show more content…
Shell shock was a reaction to the intensity of the bombardment and fighting from the war, commonly formed from the trenches.
Early symptoms of shell shock included tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches (Spartacus Education, 2015). Authorities first ignored the men when they had shell shock even when the men finally suffered mental breakdowns making it impossible for them to remain on the front line. Some people came to the conclusion that the soldiers condition was caused by the enemy’s artillery. These doctors argue that a bursting shell creates a vacuum, and when the air rushes into this vacuum it disturbs the cerebro-spinal fluid and this can upset the working of the brain (Simikin, J,
The trenches of World War 1 are generally known as a fairly rough environment, but how far have people seen into what truly goes in such lifestyles? What the soldiers had to tolerate, mentally and physically, is rightly astonishing. Many soldiers have told stories and written journals of their personal struggle in the heat of trench warfare, eventually resulting in the creation of a vivid picture telling us of the dreaded life in the trenches. First hand experiences and secondary sources have surely told us a strong and enduring story.
The trenches - What they were and why they were employed
Trenches are long, narrow, frequently zigzagged, ditches in the ground supported by beams of wood. These trenches were employed in World War 1 because they owned qualities paving way for advantages towards the soldiers who used them.
The system used for the trenches was quite complicated. Many linking lines of trenches formed distinctive layers obtaining particular purposes. These layers consisted of;
No Man’s Land – The space before enemy lines. Given the name due to the …show more content…
Shell shock was a reaction to the intensity of the bombardment and fighting from the war, commonly formed from the trenches.
Early symptoms of shell shock included tiredness, irritability, giddiness, lack of concentration and headaches (Spartacus Education, 2015). Authorities first ignored the men when they had shell shock even when the men finally suffered mental breakdowns making it impossible for them to remain on the front line. Some people came to the conclusion that the soldiers condition was caused by the enemy’s artillery. These doctors argue that a bursting shell creates a vacuum, and when the air rushes into this vacuum it disturbs the cerebro-spinal fluid and this can upset the working of the brain (Simikin, J,