THE CHEMISTS'BIT IN THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 297, 11 September 1919, Page 5

THE CHEMISTS'BIT IN THE WAR

WHAT THE GERMANS MISSED. Mr. F. G. Kellaway, JI.P., Joint Parliamentary Secretary and Deputy Minister of Munitions, speaking at the dinner' of the Association of British Chemical Manufacturers recently, said that the work of the committee, of -which Lord Moulton was chairman—the High Explo. sives Committee—stood out as one of tho most .remarkable achievements of the whole war. .From the timo Germany first used poison gas there was a continuous struggle between her offensive and our defensive methods.. In tho late Colonel Harrison our'.anti-gas department found a-man fully equipped to achieve 1 the highest measure of success. After tho first battle of Ypres Colonel Harrison and his chemists wore never surprised by any new form of gas introduced oy Germany. Turning to the introduction of. mustard gas by the Germans during 1918, Mr. Kellaway stated that it was offered to the British ' Government some considerable time .before it was used by Germany, but it was rejected by the military authorities. The ' Geriuan Army Command proved more far-seeing. Last year mustard 'gas shells caused in one division alone of the British. Army 7(100 casualties. The discovery of rausliml gas was the discovory of a Scottish, chemist named Guthrie. After tho attack on Awns "British chemists commenced experimental work, and woro able lo develop Guthrie's simple and direct process into a practical proposition for making tho same material which • tho Germans woro producing by. long and laborious methods. The Germans were so surprised when we first used mustard gas that they thought we had taken it from their own "dud" shells. They were certain no other country could prodnco it in quantities of "more than a few drops. But in the spring of this year Germany would have boon drenched and almost ilrowned with the gas she herself had introduced. Lord Moulton, proposing tho toast of His Majesty's Ministers, said tho positive terror' with which ho viowed tho lack of important chemical industries vitally necessary to sayo England in the terriblo conflict iu which she was engaged was fresh in .his mind and would always'remain there. Ho often wondered to what'extent tho nation would realise how tho perils of those early days were duo to the fact Unit tho energy of British industrial life had been concentrated on. the more heavy chemicals, and that it had neglected almost totally tho numerous branches for which their foes were piling up funis. Ho had wondored if England would learn tho lesson. (Tho cable news in this issuo accredited to the London "Times" has appeared in that journal, but only where expressly Btated is audi news the editorial opinion of tho "Times.")