Caption: Hospital therapy for shell shocked soldiers
About the talk: Prof Jones will explore the military and medical crisis created by shell shock. Psychological casualties presented in such numbers that senior commanders were forced to introduce new management techniques whilst army doctors conducted research into the causation of shell shock and ways to treat it effectively. The politics of the illness will also be discussed together with findings of the War Office Committee of Inquiry into Shell Shock, published in 1922.
About the speaker: Prof Edgar Jones is an authority on the psychological effects of warfare and the programme leader for the MSc in War and Psychiatry at King's College London. He has written extensively on shell shock, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic multi-symptom illness resulting from military service. He originally studied history, researching a doctorate at Nuffield College, Oxford, before joining the department of psychiatry at Guy's Hospital where he completed a doctorate in clinical psychopathology. He serves on the editorial boards of the British Journal of Psychiatry and History of Psychiatry. He has authored many reports for government, military and mental health charities, and provides expert commentary to tv documentaries and news programmes on the psychological impact of war and conflict.
Where we meet: We meet at the Royal British Legion Club, Queensway, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent BR5 1DH. Meetings are held on the last Thursday of each month (except August and December). They start at 19:30, with the doors (and the bar) opening at 18:30. We do not charge entrance fees but do welcome donations of £5 or more towards our costs.
Getting there: The club is next to Morrison's supermarket and Petts Wood railway station. Parking at the rear of the club is free but you need to type your car registration into the machine (on the left as you enter the club). Failure to enter your registration can lead to a £50 fine. There's easy free parking in adjacent side streets.