ia_2010_dennis_d

=D. Analysis (500-650 words) Tips]=

** D.Analysis ** The issue of returning home or being demobilised after World Wars One and Two is historically significant because the direct aftermath of these wars is often forgotten for two reasons. Firstly, the horrors of the wars have seemed to trivialise everything that happened around them. Secondly, the importance of the political events following the wars veiled everything else as they were, in many cases, to decide the fate of many countries and nations. It is for these reasons that the moral and physical burdens of demobilisation are often forgotten and should hence be studied when possible. The issue is still of great importance today because, as I explained earlier, there are many problems that have arisen concerning the treatment of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan following their arrival home and a study of this issue could perhaps significantly improve some of these concerns.

i) **__What were the problems with actually returning home?__** Concerning the physical act of returning home for British soldiers, I can imagine that **(I don't care what you imagine. Just tell me the facts - in other words, delete this)** it was in fact much harder in World War Two than World War One because, despite significant advances in transports such as planes, soldiers were sent to much more remote destinations in World War Two. World War One was based on trench warfare in France and a journey across the Channel would have brought the soldiers back to their homes where their wives and families would have kept “the Home Fires Burning” [1] . My interview with Mr Stone is key to me in exploring this matter as he had to wait for over 16 months in India with the RAF. He explains, in the interview, that times were frustrating, despite the fact that “the conditions were fair” [2], because “the only contact home was the occasional letter”2. With the war finished, they had little to do and in some respects this made them even angrier because boredom kicked in as they “sat back in our bamboo huts and waited”2. Things apparently got so bad that “the RAF got restless and it staged a two week strike”2. Because of little concern for soldiers after the war was finished, this merited a mention in the press in the UK but “caused little concern”2. BIT HERE ABOUT DREADFUL CONDITIONS IN BOAT BY SOMEONE BUT CANT FIND IT YET…. This would have, almost certainly, been a problem in other parts of the world for British troops but with very few historians covering this topic due to its considered insignificance there are very few sources that actually mention this as being a problem at all.
 * Very nice opening paragraph. Nothing to do here.**

ii) **__What were the physical problems with soldiers on returning home?__** Millions of soldiers returning home from the two World Wars came burdened with terrible injuries. //Shrapnel// in the First and air raids in the Second are among many of the terrible means that were responsible for inflicting such pain.
 * Shocking images but undoubtedly one the more positive aspects of the two World Wars were the advances in science and medicine that were made throughout them. ||

iii) **__What were the mental problems with soldiers on returning home?__** These were perhaps the most troubling long-term consequences of the First and Second. These came in many different forms. Many have seen videos of tortured men diving to the ground at the sound of cars backfiring in the street or of poor patients in mental hospitals, undergoing so-called treatment due to post-traumatic stress disorder or //shell shock// as it was referred to in the First World War. The mental of World Wars One and Two also came in much subtler forms. Both //Goodbye to All That// and //All Quiet on the Western Front// by Graves and Remarque, respectively, explore the disgust with regards to the attitude of civilians experienced by the protagonists.

[1] Ivor Novello, //Keep The Home Fires Burning// [2] Kenneth Stone, August 2009