'Boks and bullets, coffins and crutches' : an exploration of the body, mind and places of 'Springbok' South African soldiers in the First World War

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 1914-'18 the Great War, as it is still widely known today, engulfed the world, including the recently-founded Union of South Africa. As opposed to other empire and Allied states, the Union's experience of the global war's intoxication in August and September 1914 was more complex, inconsistent and layered.The cry for war was heard in a period of increased urbanisation and class antagonism towards the ruling order. Yet, in the more pro-British centres and for struggling poorer inhabitants, the call was answered and many rushed to enlist to fight in what was seen as a European War. Many men were probably unaware of the defined yet covert contract into which enlistment translated: the handing over of one's body and mind to the state, thus allowing the government to dispose of it as it saw fit both during and after the war. It is the aim of this thesis to consider and explore what happened to the bodies and minds of white volunteers who saw service beyond the domestic borders. This exploration includes a comparative analysis, since it considers the impact of war on fighting South African soldiers in three markedly different campaigns. The first troops arrived in German South West Africa in 1914, and the majority remained until the end of hostilities in 1915. This was followed by the posting of two expeditionary forces to Europe and East Africa in that year. The different geographical locations of these three campaigns also meant varying climates, environment, food, clothing, types of warfare and, also, the contracting of different diseases and the inflicting of wounds.All of these factors had a differing bodily and mental impact. Furthermore, enlistment experiences changed men's bodies and minds enduringly, for even after the cessation of hostilities, many men were never the same. The extent to which men's bodies were altered depended at times on their physical state upon enlistment. The state's ideal of 'fit, 'able bodied, and 'healthy depended on a set of schedules determining recruitment requirements and was also mirrored in the post-war years as these criteria came to determine men's economic standing. Accordingly, this thesis will explore the impact of the war on men's bodies and minds by considering their condition upon enlistment, and their state during the war years as well as during the post-war era. These different phases were reflected in the altered identity of men from 'fit for duty', to 'servicemen' and, lastly, to 'ex-servicemen.' The experiences of these men, changed by war, form the focus of this thesis.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University