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This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Invisible scars Commonwealth military psychiatry and the Korean War (1950-1953) Fitzpatrick, Kathleen Meghan Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). 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Oct. 2021 Invisible Scars: Commonwealth Military Psychiatry and the Korean War (1950-1953) Dissertation Submitted for: Doctor of Philosophy in War Studies Kathleen Meghan Fitzpatrick Department of War Studies King’s College London April 2014 Note: The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. 1 Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………...4 Map of Korea………………………………………………………………………………..5 Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………......6 List of Illustrations………………………………………………………………………....10 Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………...14 Chapter 1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...…16 Chapter 2 A Sign of the Times: The Transformation of the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (1945-1950)………………………………………………38 Chapter 3 Together We Stand: 1 Commonwealth Division Organisation and Administration (1950- 1953)…………………………………………………………………………………..…...73 Chapter 4 Weathering the Storm: Mental Health and Psychiatric Practice (1950-1953)…………....109 Chapter 5 For the Common Good: Divisional Morale (1950-1953)…………………………...……159 Chapter 6 Forever Changed: Korean War Veterans and the Pensions’ System……………………..199 Chapter 7 Soldiering On: The Post Korean War Development of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and the Royal Army Medical Corps…………………………………………….....231 Chapter 8 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...280 Illustrations…………………………………………………………………………..……291 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………..320 2 Appendix A Chronology of Important Events………………………………………………………….321 Appendix B Organisation of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade and 29th British Independent Infantry Brigade Group…………………………………………………………………...328 Appendix C 1st Commonwealth Division Order of Battle, 1st August 1951…………………………...333 Appendix D 1st Commonwealth Division Pertinent Medical Staff………………………………….....338 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………340 3 Abstract Over the past several decades, both the academic community and the public at large have become increasingly interested in the development of modern military psychiatry. Work on this subject has enriched our understanding of the psychological impact of war and the overall human toll of conflict. However, very little research has been conducted on the Korean War (1950-1953). A brutal conflict, Korea produced roughly 4 million casualties. Nearly 145,000 Britons, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders served in the Far East as members of the 1st Commonwealth Division. While many suffered physically, others grappled with significant mental health problems. Psychiatric casualties accounted for roughly 1 in 20 wounded or sick Commonwealth soldiers. This dissertation examines the psychiatric care system in place both during and after the war. ‘Invisible Scars,’ represents the first comprehensive study of Commonwealth medical or psychiatric practices and is intended to act as a foundation upon which future studies can build. Chapters are organised both chronologically and thematically and review topics such as organisation, treatment, morale and pensions. I conclude that army doctors were largely successful in treating men with mental health problems in the short term. Return-to-unit rates ranged from 50% to 83%. Those men who could not return to their units were re-employed in less strenuous occupations. Treatment was designed to be practical and focused on rest and reassurance. Only 5% to 7% of patients were evacuated to Japan for further hospitalisation or repatriated for the purposes of long term care. Be that as it may, the Commonwealth countries failed to put long-term support systems in place for vulnerable veterans. There was little available in terms of either compensation or counselling. Ex-servicemen also found applying for a pension to be a difficult and bureaucratic process. They were generally ill supported by veterans’ organisations and in some cases they were turned away by individual branches. The Korean War brings up important questions about the military’s duty of care and the long-term needs of ex-service personnel. It also highlights the role that public commemoration can play in the healing process. While Korean War veterans share many similarities with veterans of other twentieth century conflicts, they are a unique group worthy of further study. 4 Map of Korea Source: Mark Jameson Smith, Map of Korea (1950-1953), Map, The Royal Canadian Regiment, last modified 1998, http://theroyalcanadianregiment.ca/individual_submissions/Hill187.html 5 Abbreviations AACS Australian Army Canteen Service ACPMH Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health ACS Army Council Secretariat (United Kingdom) ADA Psych Assistant Director of Army Psychiatry (United Kingdom) ADMS Assistant Director of Medical Services (1 Commonwealth Division) AG Adjutant General AKC Army Kinema Corps (United Kingdom) AMA American Medical Association AMD Army Medical Department (United States of America) AORG Army Operations Research Group (United Kingdom) APA American Psychiatric Association BCCZMU British Commonwealth Communications Zone Medical Unit BCFK British Commonwealth Force Korea BCGH British Commonwealth General Hospital BCOF British Commonwealth Occupation Force BGH British General Hospital BKVA British Korean Veterans Association BMA British Medical Association BMJ British Medical Journal BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation CASF Canadian Army Special Force CBC Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CCF Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (Canada) CF Canadian Forces CFHS Canadian Forces Health Service CFMS Canadian Forces Medical Service CFMSTC Canadian Forces Medical Service Training Centre CIA Central Intelligence Agency (United States of America) CIGS Chief of the Imperial General Staff (United Kingdom) CMA Canadian Medical Association CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal CWMC Central Medical War Committee (United Kingdom) CO Commanding Officer COS Chiefs of Staff CSI Cornell Selection Index CSR Combat Stress Reaction DAP Directorate of Army Psychiatry (United Kingdom) DA Psych Director of Army Psychiatry (United Kingdom) DCMH Department of Community Mental Health (United Kingdom) DDMS Deputy Director of Medical Services (1 Commonwealth Division) DGAMS Director General of Army Medical Services (United Kingdom) 6 DGMS Director General of Medical Services (Canada) DHH Directorate of History and Heritage (Canada) DND Department of National Defence (Canada) DRB Defence Research Board (Canada) DPM Diploma of Psychological Medicine (United Kingdom) DPS Directorate of Personnel Services (Canada) DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DVA Department of Veterans Affairs (Australia) ECAC Executive Committee of the Army Council (United Kingdom) ECT Electroconvulsive Therapy EFI Expeditionary Forces Institute (United Kingdom) FARELF Far Eastern Land Force (United Kingdom) FDS Field Dressing Station FST Field Surgical Team FTT Field Transfusion Team GAC Geronotological Advisory Council (Canada) GDO General Duty Officer GDP Gross Domestic Product GOC General Officer Commanding GP General Practitioner GSO General Staff Officer GSW Gun Shot Wound HMAS Her Majesty’s Australian Ship HMCS Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship HMHS Her Majesty’s Hospital Ship HMS Her Majesty’s Ship IAMS Indian Army Medical Service ISAF International Security Assistance Force ISCJT Inter-Service Committee on Joint Training (Canada) ISMC Inter-Service Medical Committee (Canada) IWM Imperial War Museum (United Kingdom) JCC Joint Concealment Centre (United Kingdom) JRAMC Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps (United Kingdom) JSIU Joint Services Interrogation Unit (United Kingdom) KOSB King’s Own Scottish Borderers KSLI King’s Scottish Light Infantry LAC Library and Archives of Canada MAOI Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors MASH Mobile Army Surgical Hospital MMPI Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory MO Medical Officer MoD Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) MPAB Medical Procurement and Assignment Board (Canada) MPNI Ministry of Pensions and