An 'Insane Delusion'

A very pleasing turnout for today's meeting. Thanks to everyone who came along today. It was particularly pleasing to see new members. I hope you enjoyed it! 

Anyway, one of the things we looked at during today's session were the remarkable scrapbooks of Reginald Dack Baker, a man from Norwich who emigrated to Australia before the First World War and, subsequently, signed up to the Royal Australian Field Ambulance, serving in several theatres of war, before being pensioned off with 'neurasthenia' ('shell shock') in 1918. Although the scrapbooks themselves make very little reference to that experience, that is the backdrop against which his books need to be understood I think. 

Post 1918 he returned to his business as a grocer wholesaler in Brisbane, Australia, and then suffered a breakdown which led him to be sectioned and incarcerated in the Goodna Asylum in that city. Upon release, he returned to Norwich. He died in the North Walsham district, aged 84 in the spring of 1972 (*thanks Liz!). 

Basically, the seven scrapbooks known to survive reveal an obsession with the notion that the medical establishment of the time were killing people by the use of death-rays. It is a poignant record of a man's mental illness in the wake of huge trauma, and contains many poignant elements, such as letters from his former sweetheart who he left behind in Australia. 

I acquired six of these volumes about five years ago, buying them from some builders who were restoring an old bookshop in Norwich. I took two volumes in today and members of the club had the opportunity to look at some historic primary material. Initially, I deliberately didn't explain what I knew about these, as I wanted the members to start searching for the clues contained therein. I think that they fully understood the rather confusing task that faced me when I first acquired them, in deciphering their meaning (many elements still remain a mystery). 

Anyway, back in 2009 I created a blog (that I have not updated since) about the volumes that contained my findings up to that point. Here is the link to it:

Inside the Mind of Reginald Dack Baker

Perhaps this material might be something that club members would want to try and do some further work on in the future. 

*Postscript: Archive Specialist, Liz Budd, has very kindly done some additional research about Baker, and has filled in some more 'pieces of the puzzle'. I'll add these to this blog in the near future. Thanks Liz!