Shell Shock - WW1 Flashcards
What was the underlying cause of shell shock
It was thought to be caused by the noise and effects of the bombs that exploded 24 hours for weeks, moths or years on end. The next cause could have been the horrible things the soldiers saw during the time in the trenches
What did shell shock affect a soldiers ability to do
To Cary out his duty for example if a soldier wouldn’t climb the ladder when ordered to go over the top, an officer would come down and shoot them for being a coward, but it wasn’t the mans fault, he just couldn’t move due to shell shock
How did shell shock affect a soldiers life after the war
The noise of a slamming gate or a barking dog, was enough to set the ex soldier on edge
Ex soldiers could just start trembling out of the blue, for example the man could just be having a chat with his friends, when something reminds him of the horrors that happened back on the front line
Ex soldiers could also be living in constant fear and anxiety and constantly reposting the events of the war over and over again in ones head
