First World War Galleries Table of contents
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Gassed‘… a dozen men – all gassed - their colours were black, green and blue, tongues hanging out and eyes staring.’ Lance Sergeant Elmer Cotton, 5th Northumberland Fusiliers, 1915
This leather glove was shrunk by poison gas. Not only did gas do dreadful things to the lungs, skin and eyes of human beings but soldiers under gas attack also noticed other strange effects. Gas could eat into rifle mechanisms, turn buttons and badges black or green and stop watches. Display captionSummary caption Gas caused horrific injuries. Inhaling a large amount of chlorine made soldiers choke, turn blue and suffocate. Those poisoned by phosgene threw up litres of yellow liquid in a drowning spasm lasting around 48 hours. Mustard gas caused blisters on the skin that could burn down to the bone. Despite these agonies, gas was not usually lethal, killing only three per cent of soldiers affected. Vermorel sprayer, Aryton gas fan – The Vermorel sprayer, used in peacetime for spraying crops, was meant to neutralise lingering chlorine gas. The Ayrton gas fan was devised by pioneering electrical engineer Hertha Ayrton to waft away toxic gases. Neither device was effective. One officer described the Ayrton fan as ‘worse than useless’. It was better to light a fire, which heated and dispersed gas. Hypo helmet The Hypo helmet, officially the British Smoke Helmet, was invented by Captain Cluny Macpherson, a Newfoundland Regiment medical officer. He found that a flannel hood soaked in sodium hyposulphite could protect the wearer for longer than a pad. From June 1915 2.5 million Hypo helmets were issued to British and Empire troops. But they were uncomfortable to wear and the eye-piece fogged and cracked easily. Tube helmet The Tube helmet was developed at the Royal Army Medical College in London. It was impregnated with chemicals to counter phosgene gas. Phosgene was ten times more deadly than chlorine and almost undetectable except for a faint whiff of mouldy hay. It was first used against British troops in December 1915. The tube helmet was effective, but difficult to see out from. One of its protective chemicals could also burn the skin. Document ordering attack on Loos This is an order for the first British gas attack at Loos. Field Marshal Sir John French hoped that using gas as a weapon would make up for his lack of artillery in this major attack. At 5.50 am on 25 September 1915, 5,900 cylinders of chlorine gas were released in the direction of the enemy lines. But 30 minutes later, the wind changed. The gas swept back over Allied troops, causing casualties and panic. Small box respirator The Small Box Respirator, developed by scientist Bertram Lambert, was standard British Army issue by 1917. Its box filter contained charcoal granules that neutralised all lethal gases. Every soldier was individually fitted with his mask and then exposed to tear gas in a chamber for five minutes to make sure it worked. It was the most effective of all the gas masks produced during the war. Anti-gas goggles and mask In May 1915, the Germans used a poison gas, chlorine, against Canadian troops. The Black Veiling pad, worn with goggles, was issued days afterwards. The pad got its name from the gauze covering which was normally used to make women’s funeral veils. On smelling chlorine, soldiers soaked the cotton pads in chemical ‘hypo’ solution, which neutralised the gas. But it gave only short-term protection. Photo caption Soldiers using a Vermorel sprayer to disperse gas Photo caption Gas and smoke seen in the distance during the British attack at Loos Photo caption Soldiers of the Scots Guards wearing a variety of gas masks, December 1915 Photo caption An Australian Chaplain wearing a Box Respirator Photo caption Gas mask drill for horses of the Royal Field Artillery Photo caption British soldiers temporarily blinded by tear gas Directory: sites -> default -> files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations files -> Nstructions for Acquiring Excess Equipment online, through the 1033 Program files -> Occupational health and safety files -> The Black Panther Party’s Ten Point Program files -> International programs roel profile files -> Fermi Questions a guide for Teachers, Students, and Event Supervisors Lloyd Abrams, Ph. D. DuPont Company, cr&D/ccas experimental Station Wilmington, de 19880 files -> Personal Information Name: Maha Al-Ammari Nationality: Saudi Relationship Status Download 0.71 Mb. Share with your friends:
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