Diggers To Veterans: Risk, Resilience And Recovery

Abstract

What really happened to the Diggers after the war? In this centenary year of Gallipoli, it is still not known. It is not known how long they lived nor how they compared in health and family formation to civilians. Did some recover from trauma and exposures over time? Did the Repatriation Scheme and medical care make a difference? What social and biological characteristics may have affected risk, resilience and recovery? And what can be learnt about the lifelong impact of war exposures and traumas, to assist in the recovery of today's servicemen? This project aims to be the world's first cradle-to-grave medico-demographic study of survivors of military service in World War I, drawing on Austr..