THE story of a Newport veteran of the First World War gives some insight into how the treatment of soldiers suffering from mental illness has changed over the last 100 years. Martin Wade investigates.

WILLIAM Selwood was a Gwent soldier who served in the trenches of Flanders and across the world with the British Army. He died as a result of injuries he suffered on the Western Front, but he was not recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as war dead because the injuries to which he succumbed were not physical but mental.

Thanks to the work of a Newport man who has worked to tell the stories of Newport's war dead, he will now be recognised as victim of war.

Shaun MacGuire is a researcher of Newport's casualties of battle. Through his website Newport's war dead he has told the stories of hundreds of soldiers, sailors and airmen who served and died for their country. Inevitably, he has uncovered many sad stories, but one war victim’s story struck him as particularly tragic. He was told about William Selwood by

A grave-digger at Christchurch cemetery told Private Selwood’s tale.

"He explained how William had suffered from shell shock and had died at St Cadoc's hospital in Caerleon just after the war.

“I wondered why he didn't have a Commonwealth War Graves headstone if he had died as a result of his war service.”

So Shaun set about tracing William's service history. He found he was born in Abertillery in 1881 and had a long service with the Cheshire Regiment and the 65th Company Labour Corps for 13 years in India, South Africa, Egypt and France and died on January 1 1919, less than two months after the war's end on November 11 1918. A veteran of the Boer War, he was awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with two clasps.

He also discovered that William was discharged from the army in 1917 and the reasons given were: "Discharged physically unfit, general paralysis, total disablement, attributed to service." Importantly, it added: "Active service contributory - stress of service" this meant it had been recognised that his war service had contributed to his condition.

Shaun adds: “Who knows what he saw and what eventually broke him? So many were suffered mental illness through their experiences then and they was very little sympathy for them.”

Shaun is delighted that William has been added to the roll of honour at last after 97 years: "He is one of our war dead and now he has been recognised as such.

‘Shell-shock’ is a term often used when describing the mental trauma suffered by servicemen in the First World War. The name reflects how little-understood mental health was at that time.

It was thought to be the result of a physical injury to the nerves, the shock coming from being buried alive or exposed to heavy bombardment. By 1917, the term was not used by the army and was later replaced by the term ‘post-concussional syndrome’. But it has taken hold in the public's mind and persists today as condition linked with the horror of trench warfare.

In reality, it would have been used to describe many different types of mental illness. Its symptoms included helplessness, panic and being scared, an inability to reason, sleep, walk or talk. They could also include uncontrollable diarrhoea or unrelenting anxiety.

Often symptoms mirrored a particular trauma they had suffered. Soldiers who had bayoneted men in the face would develop tics in their own faces. Men who knifed Germans in the abdomen would be gripped by stomach cramps.

Whatever the actual symptoms were it affected great numbers of British servicemen. As many as 19 British military hospitals were devoted to the treatment of cases of shell-shock. Ten years after the war, 65,000 veterans were still receiving treatment for it in Britain.

The way many veterans suffering from these traumas were treated seems brutal and uncaring now.

Shaming, and physical re-education was often used as was electric shock treatment. A current would be applied to various parts of the body to cure the symptoms of shell shock. If a soldier was suffering from mutism for example and could not talk, the current would be applied to the pharynx.

While those caring for patients might show some sympathy, the victims were to be made to face their illness “in a manly way”. They were left in no doubt that their reputations as soldiers and men were damaged by their condition.

Today, although there are sadly still serviceman and women traumatised by what they see in war, the help at hand is of a different order to that William or his stricken comrades could expect 100 years ago.

Combat Stress is a leading organisation set up to help veterans with mental health problems.

They have three treatment centres across the UK with 15 community teams. Spokeswoman Nicola Hudson says they have a range of treatments like a two-week programme where they look at issues like anger management and alcohol often using group therapy.

She adds: “We also treat PTSD with a more intensive six-week course and that is the only course run in the UK.”

“We also look at recovery and wellbeing using work-based therapy. That can involve archaeological digs, photography projects - group activities like that. It can also mean visiting cafes as a lot of our veterans have problems with being in crowds, so we try to help them re-engage with society that way.”

Many would expect that more thoughtful treatments only to have emerged in recent years. Combat Stress, despite its name modern-sounding name was formed in immediately after the First World War to give support to returning veterans suffering with mental health problems.

"There is some similarity between what we did then and now in that they offered activities like basket-weaving as a way of giving men meaningful work - what would be seen as occupational therapy today."

The main provider of help for veterans in Wales suffering from mental health problems as a result of their service is Veterans NHS Wales. Using methods like cognitive behaviour therapy, known as the ‘talking cure’, they aim to reach veterans in need quickly after they are referred by GPs or by themselves.

Clare Crole-Rees of the service says they are dealing with more cases every year. In 2014-15, they had 542 referrals, up from 390 the previous year, and up from 329 the year before that. She says this is down to two main factors: "The two conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are important, but also the fact that people are much more willing to come forward and seek help." Clare says this shows how the stigma of mental illness in the armed forces is gradually being lifted. "It used to be a huge barrier, but there has been a lot of work done in the armed forces to reduce this and we're seeing that in the willingness of people to come forward."

Treatments have advanced greatly since William’s time she says: "There is a much better understanding now of what's happening in the brain", adding: "Then, treatments were in their infancy and how we treat them has changed very much."

Although it is far too late for William to see, thanks to Shaun's work he can at last be honoured as one of Newport's war dead.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission will now look after William’s grave and Shaun adds he would very much like to make contact with any surviving members of William’s family. They can get in touch on 01633 856235 or shaunmcguire1@aol.com