I am so excited to have been commissioned to write a book for the well-known military history publishers Pen and Sword Books.
With a working title of Shell Shocked Britain the book will be framed by the story of my great uncle Alfred Hardiman, who in 1922 murdered his ex-girlfriend by cutting her throat. He then turned the razor on himself. The inquest report made it clear that this had happened in front of my grandmother, who was a key witness in front of the coroner, who found it was murder and suicide, whilst Alfred was 'of unsound mind'. The family hushed the tragedy up - saying only that the tragedy had been caused by the war.....
The book will look at this aspect of my family history from a social history perspective. It will examine how the shell shock experienced by troops at the Front was extended, in a way, to the population of Britain as they struggled to cope at home as the war dragged on; were traumatised by the First Blitz as Germany sent airships and the first planes to drop bombs on London and the East of England; and then welcomed home those damaged troops who had endured the horrors of the trenches.
I will research into how the subsequent decades saw a shift in the way mental health treatment was approached as men and their families continued to suffer for years after the fighting ended.
The main research period will begin this month - September 2012. I have a year to write it and can't wait to start.
With a working title of Shell Shocked Britain the book will be framed by the story of my great uncle Alfred Hardiman, who in 1922 murdered his ex-girlfriend by cutting her throat. He then turned the razor on himself. The inquest report made it clear that this had happened in front of my grandmother, who was a key witness in front of the coroner, who found it was murder and suicide, whilst Alfred was 'of unsound mind'. The family hushed the tragedy up - saying only that the tragedy had been caused by the war.....
The book will look at this aspect of my family history from a social history perspective. It will examine how the shell shock experienced by troops at the Front was extended, in a way, to the population of Britain as they struggled to cope at home as the war dragged on; were traumatised by the First Blitz as Germany sent airships and the first planes to drop bombs on London and the East of England; and then welcomed home those damaged troops who had endured the horrors of the trenches.
I will research into how the subsequent decades saw a shift in the way mental health treatment was approached as men and their families continued to suffer for years after the fighting ended.
The main research period will begin this month - September 2012. I have a year to write it and can't wait to start.
