Not yet diagnosed: Australian psychiatric casualties during the Kokoda campaign, 1942 by David E Woolley

Not yet diagnosed: Australian psychiatric casualties during the Kokoda campaign, 1942

David Woolley

“Outstanding … painstakingly researched study … remarkable in quality.”

Professor Jay Winter, Charles J. Stille Professor of History, Yale University

 

“[R]eading against the grain, looking for the silences or omissions in the official records and listening to the voices in the film archive … Woolley unearths the SIWs and the NYDs, the impact of mountain guns and Jukis, and the mentality of retreat. He also demonstrates how a culture of silence evolved during the campaign, one that was based on several subcultures within the Australian forces that ranged from protection for a mate to subversions by the military in reporting the impact Kokoda had on the men involved in the fighting.”

Associate Professor John McQuilton, University of Wollongong

 

Not yet diagnosed examines the incidence, nature and causes of psychological breakdowns suffered by Australian soldiers during the fighting along the Kokoda Trail, in the Owen Stanley Range in 1942. Based on extensive archival research, contemporary medical journals, and an extensive review of the existing literature, Woolley convincingly argues that the breakdowns suffered by Australian psychiatric casualties were likely more common than was officially reported or acknowledged at the time, and were masked by reporting procedures, disease, exhaustion, ill-discipline, and self-inflicted wounds.

For many years associated with courage, endurance, and the Australian character, Not yet diagnosed gives a more nuanced understanding of the wartime experiences of Australian soldiers on the trail. In this original and thought provoking work, David Woolley makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the Kokoda campaign.

David Woolley was born in Newcastle and grew up on his family's cattle property in country New South Wales. He commenced Army officer training at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2011, and graduated from the Royal Military College in 2014.

He completed a Bachelor of Arts, major in History with First Class Honours and the University Medal in 2015. His thesis on psychological injuries during the Kokoda  Campaign achieved the highest mark awarded to a history Honours thesis at UNSW Canberra and was selected as the winner of the 2016 Bryan Gandevia Prize for Australian military–medical history and 2017 C.E.W. Bean Prize (Honours division).

David has undertaken numerous postings within the Australian Army, as well as serving as a military advisor on overseas operations. He remains a serving Army officer.