Battle Fatigue/s

After WWI Florence (Lesley's grandmother) watched as her battle-fatigued husband fell apart. His uniform had covered the mental and physical damage he suffered as a result of trench warfare. Florence fought with the War Office for many years to convince them she was a war widow and entitled to a war widow's pension. She argued Battle Fatigue was a brain injury caused by war. Without a pension, she lived in poverty during the 30s Depression while raising her four sons and relying on the charity of family and friends. Florence found no rest for her war-weary body and mind when she sat in this chair. Touching its fabric triggered textile memories of the military battle fatigues her husband and sons wore. Today war veterans and their families continue to battle for recognition of and compensation for brain injuries. Research on the social and economic effects of PTSD continues.