3. “Shellshock – Within and Without” – 1st Euphonium

Euphonium

 

Along with physical disability, there was enormous psychological damage for many of those returning from the front line. Little understood, the lingering residue of trauma persisted through all communities during the interwar years – making everyday life a challenge. Treatment for shell shock, which is now known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), was in its infancy, and many didn’t receive any professional support. The research that followed had a profound impact both on treating mental health problems, and ultimately provided a broader understanding of trauma. This personal and collective trauma is evidenced in a huge cultural shift, seen for example in much of the literature, fine art, theatre and design of this time.

I have a dream—a dreadful dream—
A dream that is never done,
I watch a man go out of his mind,
And he is My Mother’s Son.

The Mother’s Son (Excerpt) – Rudyard Kipling 1932

You gave your life. Boy.
And you gave a limb:
But he who gave his precious wits,
Say, what regard for him?

What Reward? (Excerpt) – Winifred Letts 1916