What did you do in the war Nan and Granddad?
War seems to be a constant background noise to all our lives not too
present to disturb our daily round but there, nonetheless. From the Middle
East, Africa, the old USSR states, Nepal, Tibet, East India and many more we
hear harrowing stories of conflict and I doubt many of us understand why or
for what the fighting is happening.
However, for many of us, war is a constant background in our
memories for good or ill. I was reminded of this by reading a recent
article by Oliver James in the Family supplement of The Guardian. Many of
our members must have a tale to tell about their war if,
like me, you were only five years old in 1939.
Quite a few stories have been told about the experiences of
evacuees and I always get the feeling that in retrospect it is looked at as
an opportunity for adventure. Indeed it was but this superficial view
hides much of the desperation that many felt at being wrenched away from
their parents. It does not reveal the hidden and abusive nature of much of
wartime fostering.
The article Second world war evacuees may still be
suffering from their ordeal is a result of studies into evacuees by
JSM Rusby (see below). He investigated the mental health of a large sample
of 62 to 72 year olds who lived in Kent during the war. The result was that
54% of evacuees had mental health problems compared to 32% of those that had
stayed at home. This showed, in the evacuees, as insecure attachment (clingy
fearfulness), depression or anxiety with high levels of self-criticism.
It was exacerbated if the foster care was of low quality. A
similar study in Finland came up with comparable results: that childhood
evacuees were nearly twice as likely
.. to have suffered mild depression
..
and a fifth more likely to have had severe depression.
You may have an elderly relative (or friend) who is
depressed or anxious or difficult to relate to. Finding out if they were an
evacuee may give a clue to these conditions and a course of therapy might be
the answer. Of course many will reject the idea but if they have a word with
their GP and refer to the study it may bring about positive results.
On the brighter side, however, the latest National survey of
mental health shows that at 11% the over 75s are the least mentally ill
grouping in the population: a cohort that, materially, had much tougher
lives. Is there a moral in that?
Irene Richards
Ref: Evacuee studies: Rusby, JSM et al, 2008,
Attachment and Human Development, 10 207-21; Rusby, JSM et al, 2009, Ageing
and Mental Health, 13, 391-404.
