WW1 and Self-Inflicted Wounds

[Music] Self-inflicted wounds they've  been a way to escape military   service throughout countless Wars past and present self-inflicted wounds were of particular concern  during World War One millions of men were drafted   in World War One to fight in harsh protracted  trench warfare the conditions of trenches could   be hellish where men waited out their turn  to go over the top to be cut down by enemy   machine gun fire for some men self-injury  was the only way to escape such a fate   it is impossible to know exactly how many  self-inflicted wounds there were during   the war but there were military trials that  dealt with the matter in the British army 3894   men were found guilty of self-inflicted  wounds during World War One the popular   belief was that these men were frequently  shot but typically they'd be sent to work   camps or prison after an often intentionally  humiliating imprisonment near the front lines the French army was less lenient for  self-inflicted wounds they in fact shot   twice as many of their own soldiers as the British  did French executions numbered between 6 and 900   men between the years of 1914 and 1918 mostly for  Mutiny or desertion but some for self-mutilation   one French soldier Francois Laro 29 years old  was executed in the first few months of the   war he received a bullet wound to the hand while  serving in the trenches evidence against Lauren   was weak but trials were quick and designed to  set an example Laurent spoke poor French he was   unable to testify and was executed bullet wounds  to the hands and feet were viewed as suspicious   such injuries were investigated by traveling  medical boards they checked for things such   as powder Burns that might indicate a weapon was  fired pressed against the skin if a man's injury   was suspicious they'd receive a tag labeled s-i-w  for self-inflicted wound they'd received medical   treatment but often separate from other soldiers  and shamed during any investigation many men of   course received legitimate wounds to their hands  and feet during the course of the war which meant   men not only had to fear being injured but  also believed I smell something fishy and   I'm not talking about the contents of baldrick's  apple crumble it's unknown how many men got away   with self-inflicted wounds or faking illness AKA  malingering men in the trenches became creative   as they became increasingly desperate men tried  to shoot themselves through objects like tins of   beef or sandbags to lessen the injury or make  the injury seem more convincing some men would   rub chemically infected soil into their eyes and  hope for temporary blindness to get off the line   getting the severity of the injury right was  no easy task a bullet wound to the hand or   foot didn't guarantee being sent home if the  wound could be treated in a field Hospital   in some cases men simply attempted to be shot  from an opposing trench and hoped for the best William Holbrook of the Royal Fusiliers witnessed  one fellow Soldier carrying out a self-inflicted   wound in 1916. He later spoke about it --- this  fellow I don't know if he was conscription - he   wasn't a regular soldier - I liked him unusual  sort of chap geez I can't stick this he said   he I'd sooner be dead than stick this - so anyway  one morning there was a hell of an explosion back   around my trench - he put his hand on the steel  helmet and put a mill's bomb on top and blew   his hand off lost his arm he'd gone around into  the bay around the back of the trench and we was   in the trench you see and he put his hand on the  helmet put his hand on top and pulled the pin out   of the mill's bomb and blew his hand off I don't  know what happened to him he's only about 22. Today the trauma that drove these men to wound  themselves is better understood post-traumatic   stress disorder was only beginning to  be understood in World War I and was   often referred to as shell shock psychological  trauma could not be ignored during the war and   thousands of men were pulled off the line to  be treated but their treatments varied while   the Army struggled to address the issue some men  of course faked the symptoms they witnessed in   other men but that didn't guarantee them kind  treatment in many cases more army discipline   was thought to be the Cure the time has come  to get out of this madness once and for all   what Madness is that all right I'm  Johnny thanks for watching let's all   remember that mental injuries are real  and can happen to anyone check in with   the people in your life and ask for help when  you need it we'll see in the next one foreign

Channel: Johnny Johnson

Views: 3,251,875

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Id: cf9eDFlawL0

Length: 4min 54sec (294 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 02 2023