As we remember the fallen do we remember those left behind?
Firstly lets look at the history of Armistice & remembrance days to put this into context. Since the signing of the Armistice on 11/11/1918 at 0545 hours (coming into force at 1100 hours) we have gathered to remember the sacrifices made by those fighting in WWI. The first UK commemoration was held at Buckingham Palace on 11/11/1919 with a lavish banquet attended by King George V. Many people thought this was too much of a celebration and subsequent Armistice days were more subdued and an emphasis was placed on remembrance rather than celebration. In 1920 on the 11th November the funeral took place of the unknown soldier at London's Cenotaph with a 2 minute silence being observed countrywide at 11am. The Royal British Legion began to sell poppies in 1921 raising funds for ex servicemen who were greatly affected by the trench warfare in Belgium and France. The mud that was disturbed by hundreds of thousands of troops on the battlefields had the effect of promoting the growth of vast numbers of poppies whose seeds can lay dormant for years until disturbed. Throughout the 1920's and 30's the Armistice became politicised and split public opinion. Some believed it to be a day to reflect on the horrors of war which should never be repeated (remember at the time WWI was known as the Great War & the war to end all wars) whereas others felt it was a day to promote honour for military service. In 1923 George Maitland Lloyd Davies won the University of Wales seat in the UK parliament as a Christian Pacifist kickstarting the pacifist movement in the UK and eventually leading to the formation of the Peace Pledge Union suggesting that "This house will in no circumstances fight for King & Country" (A resolution put forward at a 1933 student debate of the Oxford University Union). From this act came the selling of the first white poppy by the co-operative women's guild. Next came WWII and Armistice day took on a whole new significance. During the war commemorations were moved to the Sunday preceding November 11th so as not to hinder production of armaments for the war effort during the week. In May 1945 the Government began consultation with churches and the British Legion to consolidate the future of Armistice as the 11th November solely focused on WWI. Now, with a second war to remember, it was felt that a new day should be put aside to commemorate the fallen. As 11/11 fell on a Sunday anyway in 1945 the consultation could take its time on deliberations and many dates were put forward for remembrance. These included May 8th (VE day), June 6th (D day), 15th August (VJ day), September 3rd (Day war was declared) and even 15th June (Day when the Magna Carta was signed in 1215). Eventually the Archbishop of Westminster put forward the proposal of the second Sunday in November which was accepted by the Home Office as a good idea. Since 1946 this has become the norm with the second Sunday of November being a general remembrance day to all who have fallen or taken part in conflict around the globe and the 11th November to remember those of the Great War.
Conflict inevitably causes Mental Health issues with those who have witnessed horrifying acts. They may have seen comrades fall or even possibly have had to take a life to preserve their own all of which combine to torture the mind. War and conflict has been ongoing for millenia & is certainly nothing new but the way we deal with such acts is slowly changing. Now that Mental Health is being more widely discussed we can find patterns of issues in past conflicts as well as being more understanding of soldiers placed in modern conflict situations. Mankind has had an inherent nature to fight since early humanoids walked the Earth. Early man probably fought over resources as accessing them was far more difficult thousands of years ago, so attacking a neighbouring settlement to get what you wanted was easier than foraging in the dirt and grime to get it yourself. As humans developed different skills for collecting resources, and living relatively more comfortable than the previous generation, the conflicts didn't stop but, in essence, became more intense. Weapons were forged firstly from stone and then metals to primarily defend yourself against attack but when your resources became low it was perfectly acceptable to attack a neighbouring settlement for their resources and so violence became the norm almost. As the World opened up to humans and travel between lands became easier with sailing ships and land transport such as camels or elephants the violence didn't subside with the extra resources but instead intensified as humans became power hungry. Land itself was fought over to gain rights over others claims and death and destruction came hand in hand with the notion of power over all. The establishment of chiefs, chieftains, clan leaders and kings gave mankind an overwhelming thirst for power and attacks on other leaders became prevalent as each sought to own the most in land and monetary wealth. Empires were formed which came and went as power constantly changed hands with the leaders employing followers to fight in their name. Armies grew vast & quickly to pound the land in search of new territory for their leaders killing & wounding indiscriminately as they went. Larger weapons were developed along with explosives which ultimately led to the nuclear bomb and terror tactics became the norm in the search for World domination. What we know as the first world war was thought, at the time, to be the war to end all wars as death, destruction and hardship for all involved became so horrific that to repeat it was thought to be an unspeakable act against humanity itself. Sadly it wasn't to be and the 20th Century saw many more horrific conflicts push human emotions to breaking point whilst the early 21st Century has also seen some devastating acts of war to push people to the boundaries of despair & brokeness.
We are very aware of Mental Health issues such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) within a military context in the modern world but was this always the case? Was something of the mind & emotions known about in Lithic (Stone) times or were issues ignored as a weakness? Let's look at some attitudes towards Mental Health through the millenia suggested by a mixture of archaeology, written and spoken records. In early history a Mental Illness as we know it today was thought to have a supernatural origin where a demon took possession of the individual causing them to act oddly. To release this 'demon' from the person afflicted a hole was made in the skull using a method known as Trephination. This method continued in various forms right up to the early 20th century where you may have heard the term trepanning in which a hole was drilled into the skull to let out all the bad stuff. Things didn't improve with the emergence of more wise cultures such as the Greeks, Hebrews, Egyptians and Chinese. Bad spirits were still seen as the cause of Mental illness and these cultures all performed exorcisms to rid the body of evil. An exorcism could consist of prayers, spells, magic and even noise making to frighten the evil spirit away. The Hebrews put a religious angle on matters by insisting that Mental illness was a punishment from God and so only confession, prayer and repenting of sins would rid the body of such nastiness. Thinking became a little saner in Grecian philosophy when Hippocrates stated that Mental illness was caused by natural elements and not the demons & supernatural entities of old. This was reinforced by Plato who declared that the Mentally ill were not responsible for their own actions and therefore should not be punished. Some sensible thinking you might say but the treatments were as insane as ever. Hippocrates put forward the notion that Mental illness was caused by an imbalance of the four humors (Four vital liquids identified by Hippocrates within the human body - namely blood from the heart, black bile from the spleen, yellow bile (or Choler) from the liver and Phlegm from the brain). It was thought that to cure this imbalance you had to remove a quantity of said liquid to maintain equal amounts throughout the body and thus cure the patient of any physical or Mental disorder. This led to the practice of bloodletting which was performed right up until the 19th Century. Things went backwards again during the Middle ages as the power of the church rose throughout the world and again belief in demons, devils and evil spirits became the norm, and go to, explanation of Mental illnesses. Women accused of withcraft were often believed to be Mentally ill and so possessed by the devil which had to be burned or washed out - many witches were hanged but I'm not sure how that rid the body of a demon unless it fled with physical death of its host. This was the power of the church at the time and people just became pawns in their games. Plagues were blamed on demons which resulted in witch hunts to rid the land of evil and so the supernatural explanation for Mental disorders grew again until the church began to lose power during the renaissance period when medical explanations were again explored. During the 16th Century there was a rise in humanism, which emphasised human welfare and the unique individual. Institutions began to be set up like St. Mary of Bethlehem in London which became known as Bedlam. These institutions sought to segregate the undesireables from society and thus it became a mixture of poor, Mentally ill, homeless, unemployed and war victims, who themselves were probably living with a Mental Health condition due to their war experiences. The treatment was inhumane when compared to todays standards with 'inmates' being chained up, bled continuously, electrocuted (electro shock therapy), trepanned, and even shown as exhibits for the more 'sane' members of society presumably to shock them into not degenerating into such a state. Heading through the Victorian age and on into the 20th and 21st Centuries we have seen a progressive change in attitudes towards Mental illness but it wasn't really until the late 20th Century when barbaric treatments such as bloodletting and electro shock therapy were ceased leading to the closure of many asylums and Mental institutes for their cruelty towards humanity. The third photo on this post shows the grave of Florence Nightingale and I've included it here not for her stirling work setting up modern day nursing practices but for her compassion towards wounded soldiers during the Crimean War which, I believe, set a precedent for the treatment of soldiers living with Mental Health disorders exacerbated by the horrors of war up to the present day.
After the First World War soldiers were said to be suffering from Shellshock which we know today to be a form of PTSD. These soldiers were sent home to recuperate but didn't really recieve any treatment for their condition. It is well documented that the nurses in military hospitals were kind to them but once released back into society they were left to their own devices which possibly led to suicide. This has probably been happening for millenia where soldiers who have seen the worst that war and conflict can show them have decided that to end their own lives is more preferable than living with the constant horrific memories their minds continue to play back. I am not here to debate the rights and wrongs of war and conflict but to highlight the plight of military personel who have been forgotten after their military careers have finished. Even though we know about PTSD and other war related Mental Health conditions I would argue that we still forget these brave people and try to integrate them back into a society that seems ill equipped to support them. Many servicemen and women have been left homeless on the streets because of the lack of compassion and treatment given to them after active service. Imagine how you might feel if you have lost a limb in a bombing incident or suffered severe burns as the result of enemy fire. You are considered no longer of use to the military because of your injuries and you are cut loose into civilian society with no help or treatment. Granted this isn't always the case and the British Legion do their best to support many cases but sadly many others slip throught the net. This is particularly found with men who are too proud to ask for help. Military life is all they've known and to be catapulted into civilian life with horrific memories and injuries can be too much for them. Because of the stereotype that men are tough, especially military men, they feel like they can't ask for help for fear of being ridiculed and that may lead to depression and even suicide.
It could be argued that all conflict is futile and the only casualties are the people left behind. In the military cemetary at Netley, near Southampton, Hampshire (UK) the remains of German soldiers lie next to British servicemen (see photo left) unified in death where they couldn't be in life. I have also seen German war graves elsewhere on my travels and often think how unifying such arrangements are. For those left living on Earth however feelings of pain & resentment continue. Our minds are powerful machines that can't always be controlled due to negative Mental Health and life experiences can impact heavily on this. We may have the power to forgive but we can't ever forget and bad memories will always play heavily on the mind. Time heals to a certain degree where we can teach ourselves to bury these memories to a place they can't affect us as much but they will always be there at the back of the mind. Now, more than ever, we need to recognise what servicemen and women have experienced on active duty and take action to help them come to terms with what they have witnessed. It is all very well remembering the sacrifices made during WWI on Armistice day along with performing remembrance services for all military sacrifices on Remembrance Sunday but we must never forget those that remain and are largely forgotten without help or support in the modern World.
I post this on Armistice Day 2020 to highlight the plight of the many servicemen and women throughout the World who need your support right now. Whether you support military action or not it really doesn't matter as these are human beings just like you & me who have been neglected by a society who has disregarded & misunderstood Mental Health for far too long. It is time to really shake off the legacy of the Lithic Ages & Church centered Middle Ages where demons and devils were blamed for poor Mental States. We are all equals as human beings and should be recognised as such. Yes, we are all unique in our own ways with different values, morals, ideas and beliefs but that shouldn't stop us from being compassionate and caring towards each other. As we remember the fallen this year I implore you to take a moment to reflect on the Health of those left behind - not just the families of those who didn't return but also those who did leave the battlefield, returning to a life they weren't prepared for. Let us support those people who live with serious Mental Health conditions day in and day out whoever they are, wherever they've come from and whatever they've done. Even during WWI & WWII many German soldiers didn't really want to fight allied troops and only did so because they were ordered to by their superiors and would be shot if they hadn't complied. The greed and power games played by the elite and ruling mobs has devastated many ordinary lives with no hope of support for physical or Mental conditions derived thereof. Let us be that beacon of change in a modern World and give that support to those left behind - we may just save another life by doing so.
Blessings and Light
As always this post consists of my opinions and is not presented as fact unless categorically proven to be so. Please take this as a friendly discussion starter and I would love to hear what you think of the situation regarding how we treat military personel who have negative Mental Health possibly due to active service. "We will Remember them"
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