The secret battle: Emotional survival in the great war

Cultural History of Modern War

by Michael Roper

What did home mean to British soldiers and how did it help them to cope with the psychological strains of the Great War? Family relationships lie at the heart of this book. It explores the contribution letters and parcels from home played in maintaining the morale of this largely young, amateur army. And it shows how soldiers, in their turn, sought to adapt domestic habits to the trenches. Pursuing the unconscious clues within a rich collection of letters and memoirs with the help of psychoanalytical ideas, including those formulated by the veteran tank commander Wilfred Bion, this study asks fundamental questions about the psychological resources of this generation of young men. It reveals how the extremities of battle exposed the deepest emotional ties of childhood, and went on marking the post-war domestic lives of those who returned.

Genres: History, War, World War I

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roper made some really interesting points on the relationship between sons and mothers during the First World War; his points, however could also be extended to encompass the relationships between men and their fathers much more closely. For example, this could look at class, and the generational hostilities that emerged between private soldiers and the upper-class generals who - as Sasson wrote of - did very little in day to day fighting.