Figure 1.--Here we see British Boy Scouts demonstrating how mssages could be delivered during a poison gas attack. The press photo is dated April 19, 1937. By this time the British were becoming increasingly aware of the German military threat, in part because of Churchill and his allies in the Commons. The press caption read, "Boy Scouts at an Air Raid Exhibition: Three members of the St. Marylebone Troop of Boy Scouts erating gas masks, who will act as amessengers in cse of emergency, taking part in an Ar Raid Precautions Exhibition organied by St. Marylebone Borough Council (London, England), at St. Duke's Hall recently. Devices for simple protctionn in air attacks were on view and talks were given by experts."

The war ended with Britain having large stockpiles of chemical agents. We have no idea what happened to these stockpiles or if there was any attempt to destroy them. Organized research into chemical warfare agents began in Britain and France after the surprise German chlorine gas attack (1915). We have some information on the chemical weapons programs of the Allies during the inter-War era. We believe the Allies relied primarily on the gents developed during World War I. The Government decided to maintain a stockpile of Adamsite, apparently the stockpile had to be renewed. The Ministry of Munitions created the Chemical Defense Research Establishment (CDRE) at Sutton Oak (1919). 【Wainwright】 The Sutton plant had the capacity to manufacture manufacture 20 tons of mustard gas per week by the late 1920s. 【Hammond and Carter】 Into the post-World War II era, the Sutton facility was Britain's principal center for both research, development and production of chemical military agents. Throughout the inter-War era, the Sutton facility was Britain's only manufacturer of mustard gas. CDRE also led research on deadly nerve agents, including sarin. 【Wainwright】 The British have been accused of using chemical weapons after the War. After the war, the Royal Air Force reportedly dropped diphenylchloroarsine. This was not poison gas, but was a chemical agent--an irritant designed to induce uncontrollable coughing on Bolshevik forces (1919). 【Jones. S.】 Another allegation is that the British in Mesopotamia during the Iraq Revolt used chemical weapons (1920). Here historians have expressed different opinions. Historians are now divided as to whether or not gas was actually used. 【Hopwood】 One historian writes, "... while at various moments tear gas munitions were available in Mesopotamia, circumstances seeming to call for their use existed, and official sanction to employ them had been received, at no time during the period of the mandate did all three of these conditions apply. He concludes that it was clear that no poison gas was used. 【Douglas】 Douglas believes that interdepartmental miscommunication within the British colonial administration caused the later academic misunderstanding. Britain signed and ratified the Geneva Gas Protocol (1930). This prohibited the use of toxic chemicals and bacteria in war, but not the development or production of these weapons. Britain as was allowed began substantial testing of chemical weapons (early 1930s) Britain conducted the disgraceful Rawalpindi experiments in its Indian colony, This involved exposing hundreds of Indian soldiers to mustard gas. the objective was to learn the most effective concentrations for combat use. Many of the Indian soldiers suffered severe burns. 【Rosenberg】 The British as the possibility of another war became an increasing possibility contracted Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) began to build a new factory to produce mustard gas at their Randle plant on Wigg Island, Runcorn, Cheshire (1937). 【Jones, T.】 This like the building up of the Royal Air Force Bomber command was defense based on deterrence. By this time the British seeing that Hitler's re-militarization programs were an increasing threat introdused the Dowding System (1936). RAF commanders like most air force commanders at the time were convinced that the bomber will always get through. Chief Air Marshal Dowding was convinced that defensive measures could be effective. The Dowding System saved Britain in the Battle of Britain, but fortunately Hitler decided not to use chemical weapons. The British Government also introduced a massive program to produce and distribute gas masks. Britain would be the only country to produce gas masks for every person of all ages in the country. And when Hitler and Stalin launched the War, the masks were ready. People including children were required to carry their masks when leaving home. The schools began training the children to become experts in getting the masks on expertly in as little time as possible.

Sources

Hammond, P. and Gradon Carter. From Biological Warfare to Healthcare: Porton Down, 1940-2000 (Springer: 2016).

Hopwood, Derek. "British Relations with Iraq" Iraq: Conflict in Context , BBC History 10 February 2003.

Douglas, R. M. "Did Britain use chemical weapons in Mandatory Iraq?"The Journal of Modern History Vol. 81, No. 4 (December 2009), pp. 877–78, 887.

Jones, Simon. Jones, "'The right medicine for the Bolshevist': British air-dropped chemical weapons in north Russia, 1919," Imperial War Museum Review Vol. 12 (1999), pp. 78–88. We are not always sure about poison gas allegations, but the Imperial War Museum is a very solid source.

Jones, Tim (2001). The X Site: Britain's Most Mysterious Government Facility. (Gwasg Helygain: 2001).

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Mustard gas tested on Indian soldiers" (2007). Wainwright, Stephen. "An illustrated history of Old Sutton in St Helens, Lancashire" Part 46 (of 95 parts) - Sutton at War Part 3 - Magnum Poison Gas Works. suttonbeauty.org. (20200.

Created: 3:02 PM 10/5/2024
Last updated: 3:02 PM 10/5/2024