Suicides During Wwii

[Dean]

Does ayone know of any instances where RAAF members or maybe other members committed suicide during WWII?

[Demon50]

Dean, is this really an appropriate subject for the forum ?

I think you should let it rest right here !

[Don Clark]

A distressing topic.

Notably, neither the official war histories of the UK: Medical History of the Second World War-Casualties and Medical Statistics, Meller ed. (HMSO 1972) nor of Aus: Australia in the War of 1939-1945-Medical-Clinical Problems of War, Walker (AWM 1952) cover the topic, nor do they offer even a tabular summary. Terraine is also silent on the issue.

Dean, email me please. You'll find my address on my 211 Squadron RAF site at http://users.cyberone.com.au/clardo/enquiries.html.

Hope alls well with your RAAF dogs and Federation Guard work.

regards
Don

This post has been edited by Don Clark on May 8 2008, 04:56 PM

[Dean]

Demon50,
I don't see why people view talking about suicide as a taboo subject. And honestly what I am talking about is from a historical stand point. I'm not looking for the intimate details.

I have been working on a database of all RAAF members killed during WWII and I have been including the circumstances of their deaths. It was just this morning I come across in a ORB sheet that stated a member had died from "self inflicted wounds". This is the second case of possible suicide that I have found (the other being a member who "stepped" from an aircraft in flight) so I am wondering is this (suicide) was a problem throughout the period.

[Don Clark]

I agree with Dean.

Suicide is a very difficult topic but then, war and its personal cost are very difficult topics from start to finish.

Service personnel put aside their personal life in wartime to do their duty, often far from home, often in personal danger, sometimes -too often- in extreme circumstances.

It is no dishonour to them, to my mind, to know the true circumstance of their loss and the true cost of their service.

Dean is serving in the RAAF and has for some number of years been carefully recording the loss of Australians in World War II. I wish him well with his project, in all its aspects.

Don Clark