大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by a volunteer from Northumberland on behalf of George Arkless. Mr. Arkless fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions, and the story has been added to the site with his permission.

Before his eighteenth birthday, in 1942 George Arkless volunteered to serve with the armed forces, and on completion of his training he joined Combined Operations in time to take part in the invasion of Sicily and the 1943 campaign in Italy. His older brother was serving with the Royal Marines.

Early in 1944, George returned to the United Kingdom, where he joined 45 Commando, Royal Marines, to train at Lympstone, Devon, for the D-Day landings in Normandy. His unit landed at Sword beach on 7 June 1944, D-Day + 1, to take part in the attack on Ouistreham. Shortly afterwards, just outside at Ranville, George sustained a leg injury. He was also displaying symptoms of combat stress, so he was returned to the UK and sent to a Royal Navy hospital in Lanarkshire where he spent six weeks, having his leg injury treated. On being discharged, George was sent to Hollybush House, Ayr.

On occasions, George finds the stresses of everyday life difficult to cope with in particular he suffers from loss of memory. For over sixty years he has had support from the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society, a charity established to provide a lifeline to those members of the services who have become psychological casualties of war. Hollybush House is one of the Society鈥檚 three treatment centres where rehabilitation treatment is provided, which aims to help the victim cope with their disabilities and to enjoy a better quality of life. Every year, George receives a fortnight鈥檚 respite care at Hollybush House. Also, he has access to and the support of a welfare officer, to guide him through the minefield of disability benefits to which he might be entitled and, generally, to establish what help George might need to cope with the stresses of everyday living.

For many years, George has been a member of the Gateshead and South Tyneside branch of the Normandy Veterans Association, with which he has retuned to the Normandy battlefields, on several occasions. His story highlights that war results in psychological casualties as well as fatalities and wounded casualties that tend to receive most attention from historians and the media. Of course, casualty statistics also include men lost through sickness and disease, as well as accidental injuries.

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