UNDER FIRE

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2369, 27 January 1915, Page 6

UNDER FIRE

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COURAGE ANTICIPATION A FALSE PROPHET (By the Medical Correspondent of the London "Times.") The man who has not been under fire always desires eagerly to know what were the feelings of the man who has been during this ordeal. It is probable that he does not frequently find tho information given by veterans either satisfying or enlightening. Being under fire for the first time exists, as a psychological problem, only in the most shadowy form until the idiosyncrasies of the individual man have been taken into acoount It haß been my good fortune to enjoy many opportunities of talking with ) soldiers who have been wounded in action. £ hav« visited Belgian, -French, I and British hospitals at various periods, land, as a medical man, have been afI ioided special facilities iox study. ' These opportunities have convinced me I that 110 two men ieel quite the same ' sensations whHst under fire for the first time, and also that a man is capable of experiencing guite different emotions at difieiont periods of the same day, though his circumstances have not changed. For example, from the statement of a man who experienced shell fire for the tirst time in his life in the neighbourhood o£ Arras I gathered that his first, feeling had been of' great interest and curiosity. A'"Black Maria" fell some ■hundred of yards away and sent up agreat column of smoke, and at the same t'me shrapnel was bursting at no long distance. But' suddenly there came homo, the realisation that these shells were intended to work havoc, and that, in fact, the position occupied was full of danger. "Then I felt exactly as anybody would feel the moment after he discovered that he was in a field with an angry hull. Every instinct of mind and body prompted flight." The Terror of Anticipation. A second man told me that from the moment he came under fire —in a trench —he experienced the most lively terror. "But the feeling passed away after a while, leaving, me rather tired and only A little anxious." A third declared that he had been so nervous before going into action that the event put the anticipation of it to: shame.- He had regarded himself "as a dead mail, and woke up, under, fire, to the realisation that his "chances of coming ' through safely were really very good. Each of these mem acquitted himself bravely; two of, them: were wounded. Clearly, when physical instinct. played the coward ,(I use the word in no censorious sense) moral restraint effected victory. There came a second courage, a courage open-eyed and of clear vision, which, whilst not despising danger, was able to discount it. Under fire these men found'a self hitherto unsuspeoted, that elusive quality which for want of a better title is tailed manbood. The achievement' of "second courage" is of course a.well-recognised .stage.in the seasoning process of-war.-: I heard a little story from the lips of a British officer which seems to me to illustrate the genesis of.it very convincingly—and the story W worth telling for its own sake. At. a certain period of the present war some new troop .were sent to hold a' particular trench. , They suffered a. really terriblo bombardment with shells and shrapnel, and at last about 100 of tbem ovacnated the position and retired. Presently they meW senior officer, who stopped them and inquired what had happened. ' On being informed the officer looked rve and told the men that he would very sorry to have to use any coercive measures with men whom he knew to be brave fellows. He spoke to them for a short' time and steadied them. Then he pointed out that the way of duty lay Backwards towards the position they had left. "I'll walk back a. part of the way with you."_ He did so. The men returned to their post and gave a> good account of themselves. In the words of my informality they "were all right after that."