Sickness and Service: The British Army and the First World War
type: CreativeWork
description: This researchc oncernss icknessa nd ill health experiencedb y the British Army during the First World War. A review of the literature has confirmed that this issue offers considerable scope for further exploration by historians, and is an issue that continues to remain in the shadow of the wounded.The focus within past research has been so successfully placed upon battle injuries, that it is difficult to uncover the situation concerning non-combat casualties. This research aims to open up debate, establish the types and extent of illness experienced by the troops and some of the causes of sickness and disease. The thesis also explores links between the health of the troops and military effectiveness. In order to undertake this assessment in any meaningful way, indicators of military effectiveness need to be determined, and six such indicators are defined within the thesis. To establish a better understanding of how far the British Army was prepared for sickness by 1914, the approach taken by the army towards illness over the years leading up to the First World War is considered. The Crimean War marks the starting point of historical context setting in this case, and this research has investigated how far experiences gained in war during the latter half of the nineteenth century, shaped army planning concerning the health of the troops by 1914. Rarely used primary sources have been consulted, including regimental archives at Fulwood Barracks Preston, press reports, professional journals, government reports, and documents held at the Public Records Office, Kew, including War Diaries of active service units, Casualty Clearing Station records, Hospital records, personal diaries and individual service records. A range of secondary sources have also been explored together with autobiographical accounts and personal letters. A further historical source of value is the content of professional medical journals, and the content of a number of contemporaneous journals also und…
abstract: This researchc oncernss icknessa nd ill health experiencedb y the British Army during the First World War. A review of the literature has confirmed that this issue offers considerable scope for further exploration by historians, and is an issue that continues to remain in the shadow of the wounded.The focus within past research has been so successfully placed upon battle injuries, that it is difficult to uncover the situation concerning non-combat casualties. This research aims to open up debate, establish the types and extent of illness experienced by the troops and some of the causes of sickness and disease. The thesis also explores links between the health of the troops and military effectiveness. In order to undertake this assessment in any meaningful way, indicators of military effectiveness need to be determined, and six such indicators are defined within the thesis. To establish a better understanding of how far the British Army was prepared for sickness by 1914, the approach taken by the army towards illness over the years leading up to the First World War is considered. The Crimean War marks the starting point of historical context setting in this case, and this research has investigated how far experiences gained in war during the latter half of the nineteenth century, shaped army planning concerning the health of the troops by 1914. Rarely used primary sources have been consulted, including regimental archives at Fulwood Barracks Preston, press reports, professional journals, government reports, and documents held at the Public Records Office, Kew, including War Diaries of active service units, Casualty Clearing Station records, Hospital records, personal diaries and individual service records. A range of secondary sources have also been explored together with autobiographical accounts and personal letters. A further historical source of value is the content of professional medical journals, and the content of a number of contemporaneous journals also und…
author: Hill, Christine Ann
language: en
keywords: History by period, British history
date published: 2004-10
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:36:20Z
provider: University of Central Lancashire
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Central Lancashire