Ellin, Dan (2020) A ‘Lack of Moral Fibre’ in Royal Air Force Bomber Command and Popular Culture. British Journal for Military History, 6 (3). pp. 42-65. ISSN 2057-0422
Full content URL: https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.bjmh.v6i3
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LMF Article BJMH.pdf - Whole Document Available under License Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. 250kB |
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Item Status: | Live Archive |
Abstract
Royal Air Force aircrew endured mental and physical stresses during bombing
operations. Their chances of completing a tour of operations unscathed were around
one in four, and many were aware the chances were slim. Some who refused to fly
were accused of ‘lacking moral fibre’ (LMF). Although this was not a medical
diagnosis it is frequently viewed through the lens of mental health and reactions to
trauma and it has become a powerful and important cultural phenomenon. This
article re-examines LMF in the culture of the wartime Royal Air Force, before
considering how and why LMF is remembered by veterans and in popular histories
since the war.
| Keywords: | Lack of Moral Fibre, LMF, RAF Bomber Command, PTSD, Memory, Veteran, Myth, Morale, Oral History, Difficult Heritag |
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| Subjects: | V Historical and Philosophical studies > V391 Military History V Historical and Philosophical studies > V146 Modern History 1920-1949 |
| Divisions: | Lincoln International Business School |
| Related URLs: | |
| ID Code: | 43149 |
| Deposited On: | 08 Dec 2020 10:22 |
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