Farrell, Anthony (2018) Disabled Veterans of the First World War in Ireland 1914-1945. PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the lives of disabled veterans in Ireland after the First World War. It represents a pioneering analysis firmly entrenched in the emerging field of disability studies. It does not re-examine the military or political aspects of the conflict, but rather the administration of the financial and medical aspects of British military pensions in Ireland is studied, particularly after the establishment of the Irish Free State. It is the culmination of research across several hemispheres in national and local archives combining military, civil and medical records with family papers in a manner never before attempted. Contextualisation of these sources allows detailed individual identification of Great War veterans. Individual case studies change our perception of what life was like for a disabled First World War veteran in Ireland between 1914 to 1945. Ultimately, this thesis reveals new information about the Irish experience of disability from the First World War. The central assertion is, amid the momentary celebrations of battles and the commemoration of the casualties, the matter of many thousands of service personnel disabled during the war has been neglected. It is further contended that within the narrative of Great War veterans, significantly less has been written about those who received physical injuries or suffered from long-term illnesses, than those who suffered from neurasthenic disorders; a topic often regarded in an emotionally charged manner, detracting from the realities of disability. It is also asserted that, for Irish veterans who were awarded disability pensions, there was a continuity of care by successive British governments after the establishment of the independent twenty-six counties. Britain's commitment to a continuity of care carried across many decades and many other wars, even after the last disabled survivor of the Great War passed away in July 1998.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Keywords:	Disabled Veterans; First World War; Ireland; 1914-1945;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Arts & Humanities > History
Item ID:	16811
Depositing User:	IR eTheses
Date Deposited:	06 Jan 2023 14:51
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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