Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma

In the early years of World War One, "Shell Shocked" soldiers were thought to be suffering physical damage to the brain or nervous system brought on by the atmospheric force of exploding shells. After study, however, mental health practitioners realized that most victims of "Shell Shock" were in fact suffering a psychological disorder brought on by the stress of combat. It was also deduced that many soldiers charged with cowardice or desertion were also suffering a combat stress reaction.

The development of this understanding--along with new, more effective treatment methods--was of great benefit to soldiers in the Allied armies during the last years of the war. But these discoveries came too late for the 306 British soldiers executed (shot at dawn) for cowardice or desertion during the Great War.

Now, after a long campaign by families of the victims, the British government has announced that it will posthumously pardon the 306 soldiers. Des Browne, the Secretary of Defence, said in a statement: "Although this is a historical matter, I am conscious of how the families of these men feel today. They have had to endure a stigma for decades. That makes this a moral issue too, and having reviewed it, I believe it is appropriate to seek a statutory pardon."

For more about the history of combat stress and military psychiatry, read "Psychiatric Lessons of War," the first chapter of the Army's War Psychiatry textbook.