The Effects of World War I on the Soldiers

Emotional Disconnect

One soldier tells his account of an experience in the trenches: "When your back was turned they would let loose with a machine gun. So it was a case of kill them before they get you". This constant survival instinct and the act of brutally killing another man was detrimental for many soldiers.

"Tales of Hell in WWI Trenches: Caring Nurse Collected Heroes' Stories." Mirror. N.p., 31 Oct. 2009. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tales-of-hell-in-wwi-trenches-caring-428407>.

"Conflicts - World War I - Personal Stories." Conflicts - World War I - Personal Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/citizensoldier/conflicts/WWI/pschaming.cfm>.

Health Effects: Physical

The war caused numerous physical deformities for many soldiers ranging from limb amputations to gunshot wounds.

"W.W.I.: Vintage Photo with Soldiers at a Hospital." Ruby Lane. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.rubylane.com/item/429-col-4564/W-W-I-Vintage-Photo-soldiers>.

World War I, lasting from 1914-1918, was a time of great despair for many countries with casualties numbering to almost one million. The soldiers who survived were changed men. Some contributing factors were camaraderie, emotional disconnect and the lasting health effects.

Emotional Disconnect

"Ernest Brooks (photographer)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Brooks_(photographer)>.

The effects of war were not only physical but mental as well. Death was a normal occurrence and this often desensitized soldiers to the world around them. Disconnecting themselves with reality was the only way they could cope with the horrors of war.

"Articles/History/World War I/Battle of the Somme." FIS RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. <http://www.freeinfosociety.com/article.php?id=456>.

Camaraderie

Soldiers shared a unique bond formed during a time of desperation. They needed these friendships not only for survival but also for their emotional and mental well-being.

Health Effects: Pulmonary

"Ad Breakdown: Sainsbury's WW1 Christmas Truce Advert." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30036471>.

The new tactics of gas usage during the war caused new deformities and effects that were not common in previous wars. The men "suffered from frequent cases of bronchitis, asthma, throat and lung infections, chest and heart problems, and depression or other recurring but vague ailments."

Fitzgerald, Gerard J. "Chemical Warfare and Medical Response During World War I." American Journal of Public Health. American Public Health Association, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2376985/#r32>.

Camaraderie

"World War I." Blog Project. N.p., 24 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <https://maragon31.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/world-war-i/>.

The bonds created between members of each unit were so strong that one would risk his life to protect his men. According to an account of Ernest Kusener, a WWI veteran, he remembers "disregarding his own personal danger, entered the blazing tank which was still being fired on, and dragged the remainder of the crew to safety."

"British World War One Veteran Dies Aged 108." | Reuters. N.p., 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://uk.reuters.com/article/2009/01/12/uk-britain-veteran-idUKTRE50B59H20090112>.

"Stories from the Veterans of WW1." Stories from the Veterans of WW1. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.wwvets.com/WarStories.html>.

To Conclude...

Soldiers in World War I risked their lives and when the war ended the soldiers who survived were free to go home. You can take a soldier away from war, however, you cannot take war away from the soldier. They were changed after the war and that was due to the effects of camaraderie, the emotional disconnect they experienced and the numerous health effects many men suffered.

"Ernest Brooks (photographer)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Brooks_(photographer)>.

Health Effects: Psychological

When soldiers were physically injured in combat, they were sent to hospitals to have their wounds mended. However, WWI caused more psychological problems than anyone expected. "The big artillery battles of December 1914... filled our hospitals with a large number of unscathed soldiers and officers presenting with mental disturbances. From then on, that number grew at a constantly increasing rate."

"The History of Forgetting, from Shell Shock to PTSD." Radio National. N.p., 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/hindsight/the-history-of-forgetting/5744242>.

Crocq, Marc-Antoine, and Louis Crocq. "From Shell Shock and War Neurosis to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A History of Psychotraumatology." Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. Les Laboratoires Servier, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181586/>.

Health Effects: Shell Shock and PTSD

It was often difficult for soldiers who survived to assimilate back into society. Many suffered from severe cases of shell shock. According to one article, "by the end of World War One the British Army had dealt with 80,000 cases of shell shock"

Health Effects: Shell Shock and PTSD

BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/shellshock_01.shtml>.

"Redirect Notice." Redirect Notice. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftuningpp.com%2Fwwi-shell-shock-victims%2F&ei=VU33VOzjHYGGNvvQg6gM&psig=AFQjCNHy5TF-0AIsz8PKtQI0edlTzDM6kw&ust=1425579659190151>.

Shell shock, or the later discovered term, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) effected the soldiers long after the war was over. One doctor describes his WWI veteran patient: he "fears gunfire, death and the dark...In periods of wakefulness he visualizes mutilations he has seen, and feels the terror of heavy"

"Fox Hill Farm Wholesale: P.T.S.D - Not All Wounds Are Visible - 2 1/8 X 3 1/4." Fox Hill Farm Wholesale: P.T.S.D - Not All Wounds Are Visible - 2 1/8 X 3 1/4. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.foxhillfarmwholesale.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=524&Category_Code=Veteran>.

"The Shock of War." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-shock-of-war-55376701/?no-ist=&page=2>.

The Effects of World War I on the Soldiers