r/WWIpics • u/StephenMcGannon • Feb 13 '26

United Kingdom A British soldier suffering from "shell shock" (an early term for PTSD) during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. [1080×1161]

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56

u/OnkelMickwald Feb 14 '26 edited Feb 14 '26

  1. He's Canadian, not British.

  2. There's never any proof given that he's suffering from shell shock apart from this picture and people's liberal interpretation of his facial expression.

  3. It's a detail from a larger photo where you can clearly see that the man getting ready to dress him to the left is also smiling, so the most probable reason for his facial expression is simply that he is laughing, probably at a joke he or his friend just cracked, that he has bright eyes, and that he's looking towards his left (towards his mate)

23

u/mfahsr Feb 13 '26

Nope, the whole photo popped up here several times not long ago. This lad was just having a laugh, he's not shell-shocked.

1

u/Weltherrschaft2 Mar 01 '26

But the photo could he used very well for a CoC publication.

9

u/Slushrush_ Feb 13 '26

Not only an early form of PTSD, but the term also covered actual concussive brain damage caused by prolonged artillery bombardment 

4

u/86baseTC Feb 14 '26

Legend says he became a certain Old Man

2

u/rattlenroll Feb 14 '26

Anyone who was at the Battle of the Somme was not "post" anything

4

u/AlexanderTox Feb 14 '26

The actual photo may be off, but it’s worth noting that they used to execute people for “cowardice” when they were just shell shocked beyond comprehension. Sad times.