Category
Oral - Textual or Investigative
Description
This paper explores the response to soldiers needing rehabilitation in World War One and how convalescent facilities impacted the everyday lives of injured men, nurses, and military medicine. During the Great War, there was an influx of the diversity of injuries due to the expanse of biological and machine warfare. Recognizing that field hospitals were insufficient, England’s War Office executed a plan to requisition public facilities and use volunteer forces not only to heal English men but soldiers from across the world. This paper establishes the context for the convalescing system in England and then its accommodation and improvisation for the Great War. Once the War Office established buildings for the men to stay in, they implemented a strict process that attempted to ensure a quality but speedy recovery. This paper explains how an injured man got from the field to the bed back in England and also explores the varieties of injuries and healing methods the hospitals implemented. The research uses newspapers, journals, and books to reconstruct the firsthand accounts and experiences of nurses and soldiers who stayed in convalescent facilities, including J.R.R. Tolkien. Procedures and therapies invented in convalescent facilities were revolutionary and showcased impeccable medical creativity. This paper explores a few examples of physical and recreational therapy put into practice. Along with medical practices, the staff ensured an enjoyable stay through entertainment including concerts, visitors, and games. When the Great War ended, so did the existence of military convalescent facilities, and soldiers, nurses, and military medicine felt the impression they left upon England.
Healing on the Home Front: Convalescent Homes in England During WWI
Oral - Textual or Investigative
This paper explores the response to soldiers needing rehabilitation in World War One and how convalescent facilities impacted the everyday lives of injured men, nurses, and military medicine. During the Great War, there was an influx of the diversity of injuries due to the expanse of biological and machine warfare. Recognizing that field hospitals were insufficient, England’s War Office executed a plan to requisition public facilities and use volunteer forces not only to heal English men but soldiers from across the world. This paper establishes the context for the convalescing system in England and then its accommodation and improvisation for the Great War. Once the War Office established buildings for the men to stay in, they implemented a strict process that attempted to ensure a quality but speedy recovery. This paper explains how an injured man got from the field to the bed back in England and also explores the varieties of injuries and healing methods the hospitals implemented. The research uses newspapers, journals, and books to reconstruct the firsthand accounts and experiences of nurses and soldiers who stayed in convalescent facilities, including J.R.R. Tolkien. Procedures and therapies invented in convalescent facilities were revolutionary and showcased impeccable medical creativity. This paper explores a few examples of physical and recreational therapy put into practice. Along with medical practices, the staff ensured an enjoyable stay through entertainment including concerts, visitors, and games. When the Great War ended, so did the existence of military convalescent facilities, and soldiers, nurses, and military medicine felt the impression they left upon England.
Comments
Undergraduate - 1st Place Award Winner