Iconic Image 11

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This month's Iconic Image is...

The Shell Shocked Soldier

Intro

This photograph was taken in the year, 1916. It depicts a lone soldier squatting in a trench. The soldier is gazing into the camera while grinning ear to ear. However, the smile that is on his face is not one of happiness or amusement. It is a smile of complete madness and detachment from reality. One that shows the invisible wounds of war. His eyes are wide open in a state of utter disbelief as he stares at the camera. He has clearly been traumatized by what he has just witnessed. This is a form of post traumatic stress that is called, combat stress reaction (aka: Shell Shock).

Part I

Combat stress reaction has had many different terms since it was first diagnosed. These terms include, "battle fatigue", "bullet wind", "soldier's heart", and "battle neurosis". However, the most commonly used term was the one coined by British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers and the soldiers themselves. The term that he named after the intense bombardments that came to represent World War I, "Shell Shock".

The first cases of shell shock were noticed in the year, 1914. At first it was believed to simply be the after effects of a heavy artillery bombardment (which was very common during World War I). Other people called it a form of cowardice or malingering displayed by soldiers who didn't wish to fight anymore. But by the next year, it became clear that shell shock was something much worse. Soldiers began to show multiple symptoms that included, tremors, vivid nightmares, impaired sight, hearing loss, uncontrollable diarrhea, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, severe anxiety, and hyperventilation. If left untreated, it can lead to suicide or homicide.

Part II

The image of the shell shocked soldier is actually part of a much larger photograph that depicts eight soldiers at work in one of the trenches. The soldier is located in the bottom left corner of the image.

Only two of the men were facing the camera when the shot was taken. It is likely that they just returned from combat and are tending to the wounded. Based on their uniforms it is probable that they are soldiers serving in the British Empire. However, the viewer is unable to tell whether they are British or Canadians (who's uniforms were very similar). It is believed to have been taken during the battle of the Somme river. The person who took the photograph is unknown.

Part III

There have been attempts to discover the soldier's identity. Many historians and researchers believe that the soldier is, Private Robert Lindsay Rogers who served in the 25th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Robert Lindsay Rogers was born on March 9, 1882, in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. He enlisted in the 40th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry, on April 12, 1915. He saw combat at the battle of Flers-Courcelette (which was primarily fought by Canadians), where is was severely wounded and hospitalized in England. Eleven months later, Rogers will killed-in-action on August 17, 1916, while making a charge against German fortifications. He was 34 years old. Some researchers believe that the photograph depicts him after he witnessed a comrade's death from sniper fire. 

However, this seems to be unlikely since the photograph is generally believed to have been taken in the month of September of that year. If this is true, then Private Rogers could not possibly be the Shell Shocked Soldier since the former was KIA in August. It seems highly improbable that the Shell Shocked Soldier will ever be positively identified and his ultimate fate is unknown.

Epilogue

One of the biggest tragedies of the First World War was how unprepared both sides were for the new weapons that they both introduced on the battlefield. These weapons included: poison gas, airplanes, tanks, machine guns, dreadnought battleships, zeppelins, and massive artillery guns. All of them caused terrible casualties for both sides and left deep scars on the survivors (physically and mentally) that many would never recover from.

World War I was also the first conflict where the psychological wounds of war were officially acknowledged. Unfortunately, many people initially dismissed shell shock as a, "weakness that was not found in good units". As a result, many soldiers who were suffering from shell shock were put on trial and executed for crimes such as cowardice and desertion that was caused by their trauma. After the war, the British government gave posthumous pardons to all who had been executed for committing crimes while suffering from shell shock. 

In time, shell shock became officially referred to as, "combat stress reaction". And since the end of World War I, numerous treatments have been developed to aid servicemen who suffer from the effects of their experiences in war. These treatments have proven to be effective in helping many of them come to terms with their trauma and reenter society without being a danger to themselves or others. Unfortunately, some were never able to recover from their trauma despite all the help they received and continued to suffer from the effects of shell shock for the rest of their lives.

Since it was photographed, the image of the Shell Shocked Soldier has mostly faded from public view. Except for historians and researches, most people do not know of its existance and hardly acknowledge it. However, for those who do know of it, this image is very powerful. It depicts the harsh realities and the after effects that war has on those who witness it. It is very clear that this photograph is one that deserves to be seen by all who wish to better understand that. 

https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/shell-shocked-soldier-1916/

https://www.atchuup.com/shell-shocked-soldier/

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/06/shell-shocked

https://steemit.com/history/@mstfdmn/the-horrors-of-western-front-1914-1918-photo-album

http://wartimeheritage.com/storyarchive1/story_courcelette.htm