Medicine and Conflict, c.1945-c.1980: The United Kingdom and the 'Savage Wars of Peace'

At the end of the Second World War, health and medicine were at the forefront of thinking about the creation of a new society. Service personnel and civilians had benefited from a high level of medical care and campaigns for disease prevention, and blood transfusion epitomized a shared commitment to the public good. The creation of the National Health Service in 1948 consolidated these ideas, which also found expression internationally in the creation of the World Health Organization and the United Nation's charter on Human Rights. The right to health was now listed alongside more familiar rights such as freedom from torture and freedom of expression.

The eruption of war on the Korean peninsula in 1950 challenged many of these ideals and served as a reminder of the devastating impact of war on civilians as well as troops. The same was true of bitterly fought campaigns in Europe's remaining colonies, in which the struggle for independence often took the form of an ideological battle between communism and capitalism. In all these campaigns, medicine played a vital role, not only in protecting the health of combatants but also in attempts to capture hearts and minds. From the Malayan campaign onward, medical, dental and veterinary care was used extensively in counter-insurgency operations. The health of prisoners of war and those who remained in combat became highly politicized, as did some aspects of the medical relief campaigns launched by combatants and the United Nations to aid civilians.

This project examines the contested domains of health and medicine from the Korean War (1950-53) to the aftermath of the Dhofar Rebellion 1975. Its focus is primarily on the medical services of the British armed forces and Britain's contribution to medical relief through the United Nations, the Red Cross and other agencies. However, Britain's role is put into a broader context, which allows us to compare medical aspects of the UK's involvement in relation to that of other combatant nations, as well as to examine the impact of war upon civilians. In addition to Korea, the project will study the role of health and medicine in a number of post-1945 conflicts involving British forces, e.g. the Malayan Emergency (1948-60), Borneo (1962-66), Aden (1963-67) and Oman (1962-75). These campaigns posed major challenges to the armed forces, which had to operate in difficult environments, often with high casualties from disease and psychiatric conditions. Despite the advent of helicopter evacuation, removing casualties from the battlefield often proved difficult because of heavy fighting, poor weather or difficult terrain. New methods of disease prevention and forward treatment needed to be devised to cope with these situations. The project will evaluate the effectiveness of these methods, some of which remain highly relevant to conflict today. The extensive and largely unused archives relating to the medical aspects of these campaigns can also be read alongside memoirs, diaries, letters and newspapers to provide insight into how they were experienced by service personnel, and how they were perceived by the public in the UK and other countries.

The project will reveal a dimension of post-1945 campaigns that remains largely unknown. In addition, it will assist the UK's armed forces in a reappraisal of their medical capabilities, making use of the PI's long-standing relationship with the Defence Medical Services and other branches of UK forces and collaboration of the former Surgeon-General, who is still actively involved in medical aspects of defence policy. Our project partner, the Museum of Military Medicine, which is shortly to move to new premises in Cardiff dockland, will allow us to engage the public with findings from the project, while the Military History Institute in Seoul will do likewise in South Korea.

The UK's armed forces are acutely aware that their medical capabilities need to be reviewed in the face of new military threats, including so-called 'Grey Zone' conflicts. Historical analysis is vital in order to assess the nature of these threats and in proposing measures to mitigate them. However, the medical aspects of post-1945 conflicts - which are the most relevant to understanding the current situation - are poorly understood. In view of this, UK Defence Medical Services (DMS) and other branches of the armed forces have agreed to lend their full support to this project, which is intended as the first stage in a systematic review of the medical aspects of UK defence since the Second World War.

Historical work undertaken as part of this project will feed directly into operational and strategic planning and will be used to engage the general public in the UK and relevant overseas locations. These pathways include:

1. lectures to medical professionals, e.g. Association of Service Physicians;
2. staff rides and battlefield study tours (all branches of the armed services);
3. articles in relevant journals, e.g. British Army Research or papers uploaded on Defence Gateway sharepoint;
4. briefing papers to bodies such as the Development Concepts and Doctrine Centre (the MOD's 'think tank');
5. briefing papers for various branches of the armed forces, e.g. UK Special Forces;
6. shorter briefs (in print and in person) to individuals and units;
7. exhibitions in the Museum of Military Medicine;
8. exhibitions in the War Memorial, Seoul.

In his capacity as a historian and Army (Reserve) officer, the PI is already centrally involved in re-thinking UK medical capabilities, operationally and strategically. As former Surgeon-General of the UK armed forces, Co-I 2 (Bricknell) will also play a crucial role in facilitating the translation of findings from this project into formats likely to be of use in military contexts. We have also enlisted support from other serving and retired officers who will form an advisory board. These include Major-General Alan Hawley (former Director of the Army Medical Services; currently Colonel Commandant, Army Medical Service), the Commander of 236 City of London Field Hospital, the Chair of the Defence Transfusion Committee and a senior intelligence officer. The PI and both Co-Is also have contacts with the defence medical services of other countries (e.g. South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Myanmar, USA, Australia) who will serve as advisers, contributors and conduits through which we can engage constructively on medical matters with strategically important nations.

As a trustee of the Museum of Military Medicine since 2007, the PI has been actively involved in engaging the wider public. The museum is currently planning to move to purpose-built accommodation at Cardiff docks, with backing from the Welsh Government, the City Council and assistance from £2 million of Libor funding (see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50249739). The new museum is projected to open in 2022 and the project will help shape permanent and special exhibitions (physical and virtual), as well as other forms of public engagement ranging from lectures to events involving veterans of post-1945 conflicts. The latter will probably be assisted by a grant from the Royal Army Medical Corps, funding 2 posts at Oxford to conduct oral histories of former personnel. This distinct project will assist the research element of the AHRC project and facilitate engagement. It is hoped that the RAF and Royal Navy will become involved in the museum and engagement work in due course. The other major outlet for public engagement will be through the Institute for Military History in Seoul, South Korea, which is attached to the War Memorial. This a major tourist destination in Seoul and an exhibition there is likely to have a major impact. Co-I 1 is Director of the Institute, which exercises control over the museum inside the Memorial