Cocaine in the Trenches

[Guest Rundberg]

The Dutch writer Conny Braam has written a (Dutch) book about the production of cocaine in a factory in Amsterdam, and that was sold later to the British Government. And that same cocaine was issued later to the British soldiers, just before they went 'over the top'. The book, with the Dutch title 'De handelsreiziger van de Nederlandse cocainefabriek', will be published later this month.

It seems production in Amsterdam doubled during the war and the Dutch factory made a lot of profit. According the writers investigation many soldiers returned to home after the war as a coke addict. By the way, the English title of the book would be 'The Merchant of the Dutch Cocaine Factory'.

We've also found an old photo of the cocaine factory in Amsterdam.

Dutch text under the photo : De gebouwen van de Nederlandse Cocaine fabriek aan de Wenckebachweg, op het terrein waar nu de Hell's Angels zitten

English translation of the text under the photo : The buildings of the Dutch Cocaine Factory at the Wenckebach road, terrain where now the Hells Angels can be found.

A building with such a provenance? But of course, must have been unresistable for Hell´s Angels!!

But how could the soldiers afford the cocaine, they weren´t paid bundles of money for waging war as far as I now?

[Yvonne H]

http://www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/view...p=291699#291699

And the story continues.

In short, the author states that the half of Europe was addicted, soldiers were kiling machines and as a rule " they" 've put cocaine in the rum before the poor lads went over the top.

[centurion]

http://www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/view...p=291699#291699

And the story continues.

In short, the author states that the half of Europe was addicted, soldiers were kiling machines and as a rule " they" 've put cocaine in the rum before the poor lads went over the top.

And Elvis is hiding out on the moon because he knows too much about the Milk Marketing Boards involvement in the Kennedy assassination!

Theres always money in conspiracy theory books!

[Yvonne H]

And: it's a novel mind you

[peterhogg]

Fanciful as the theory is, there is a more practical problem with idea of cocaine being put into rum. Oral ingestion of cocaine is the least effective way of experiencing the physical effects of the drug: snorting, smoking (rock/crack) or injecting cocaine is the best way to experience the immediate high, though its effects tend not to last too long, hence the need to keep ingesting it to attain that same high. If the goal is to provide some sort of fortifying "boost" to the troops putting it in very strong rum is not the way to go. "Speed" would be a more effective drug, again, not best served with rum i would think.

[MichaelBully]

A fascinating topic- but in many ways wish Conny Bram had written a factual account of his research rather than a novel.

As I have an interest in Vera Brittain's writings on the Great War, have done some research on Maurice Ellinger,an army officer for a short time, a lesser character mentioned in 'Testament of Youth' and 'Chronicle of Youth', but whose family were friends of the Brittain Family, and Maurice attended Uppingham School, where Vera's brother, fiancee and friends were educated. According to Maurice's war service records in the NA, he took a drugs overdose at an army training camp near Grantham on 11th November 1914; he had got his servant to buy some veronal and sulphonal from the chemists. According to the records, there was talk of stripping him of his commission but in the end he got sick leave for a month and resigned his commission.

According to the paperwork , Maurice's commanding officer initially wanted his commission taken away due to Maruice's 'drug habbit'. Maurice's father managed to persuade the authorites to remove the reference to a 'drug habbit' .

Though Maurice's experience with drugs seems more like an intentional overdose rather than a habbit, it got me thinking about the use of drugs during the Great War era, especially when there was less prohibition, so intrigued to see that 'De Handelse Reiziger van de Nederlandische Cocaine Fabriek ' has stimulated discussion.

[Michelle Young]

Was reading in "The Great Silence" the other day that Lady Diana Manners used morphine regularly, and Katherine Asquith also indulged (at Dianas hand) Duff Cooper persuade Diana that continuing ti use morphine would ruin her looks................

Michelle

[bruce]

I seem to remember as a child, whenever I complained of an upset stomach, my late Mother would reach for a bottle of Collis Brown's Kaolin and Morphine.

I haven't seen the stuff in years......but it made me feel better!

Bruce

[centurion]

I seem to remember as a child, whenever I complained of an upset stomach, my late Mother would reach for a bottle of Collis Brown's Kaolin and Morphine.

I haven't seen the stuff in years......but it made me feel better!

Bruce

And too much blocked you up good and proper (still a problem with some opiate based pain killers). There was also a cough medicine freely prescribed on the early NHS in very large bottles that included significant amounts of alcohol, liquorice and aniseed. Take enough and you didn't care if you still had a cough. They stopped it when they found it was taking over from meths at the bottom of society [probably a lot healthier than meths].

[neutrino]

And too much blocked you up good and proper (still a problem with some opiate based pain killers). There was also a cough medicine freely prescribed on the early NHS in very large bottles that included significant amounts of alcohol, liquorice and aniseed. Take enough and you didn't care if you still had a cough. They stopped it when they found it was taking over from meths at the bottom of society [probably a lot healthier than meths].

I vaguely remember being given a cough medicine called 'Liquorfruiter' (spelling) when I was young.

It was a dark brown sticky medicine which tasted awful.

[CarylW]

Was recently reading "More Gangs of Liverpool 1890-1970; Tearaways" by Michael Mcilwee, and in a chapter called "Dope fiends", not about Cocaine in the trenches but a cocaine scam involving soldiers probably awaiting repatriation at the end of the Great War

he writes

" ...Cocaine was another popular drug. All firms dealing in cocaine had to have a permit from the Home Secretary. chemists ould only supply the drug with a doctor's prescription. To meet the demand from Europe cocaine had to be smuggled in and blame was laid on the Chinese. The year 1918 saw numerous cocaine scares. With thousands of colonial and American soldiers passing through London at the end of the Great War, there were plenty of easy victims for the cocaine scam It seems that some troops were returning to their units in a dazed condition, totally penniless. They were not drunk but suffering from the effects of cocaine. The soldiers were befriended in cafe's, cinemas and music halls where they would be offered a cigarette laced with the drug. They would remember nothing more until they woke up with empty pockets Local newspapers reported the crimes although it is not clear whether the practice was also common in Liverpool

Further along in the chapter he writes "Morphine was another highly sought after drug.....some men became hooked while serving in the Great War. Morphine and cocaine kits, including a syringe and needles could be purchased at Harrods store in London. The advert on the front boasted:' a useful present for those at the front' "

Bruce when I started my nurse's training I can recall giving patients Kaolin and Morphine for Diarrhoea but it wasn't around for long as I remember with other medication(s) taking it's place. Liquafruita YUCK!

Caryl

[chloeflorence]

I vaguely remember being given a cough medicine called 'Liquorfruiter' (spelling) when I was young.

It was a dark brown sticky medicine which tasted awful.

Spelling was Liqufruta, browny black colour and I loved it. I haven't seen it for years, but apparently cough medicine products under the same trade name are still available (but maybe without the magic ingredient).

My father, a dental surgeon, always swore that cocaine was by far the best local anaesthetic and trumped all the replacements such as novocaine. I always understood that cocaine was a middle/upper class recreational drug in the 20s/30s.

If soldiers were being given cocaine in the trenches, are there any reports of their having any withdrawal symptoms on leaving the front line/for leave/whatever, or was it just used to give them a boost at stressful times?

Jim

[Michelle Young]

When I started ny nurse training I remember hearing about something called a Brompton Cocktail being given to terminal patients.

Michelle

[centurion]

If soldiers were being given cocaine in the trenches, are there any reports of their having any withdrawal symptoms on leaving the front line/for leave/whatever, or was it just used to give them a boost at stressful times?

Since there appears to be no evidence that it was being given in the trenches its not surprising that there is no evidence of mass withdrawal symptoms.

[CarylW]

When I started ny nurse training I remember hearing about something called a Brompton Cocktail being given to terminal patients.

Michelle

Michelle

Yes, I remember hearing about that from the older nurses, didn't like the sound of it at all!

Caryl

[CarylW]

Since there appears to be no evidence that it was being given in the trenches its not surprising that there is no evidence of mass withdrawal symptoms.

Unless the symptoms weren't recognised as cocaine or drug withdrawal and other conclusions were made either in ignorance or deliberately? shock, shell shock? PUO? fever? chills? Maybe they had injuries and were treated with strong opiates anyway masking withdrawals and/or the non-injured just went home and not being able to afford cocaine (apparently £10 legally then) just got over their withdrawal symptoms or turned to drink. There were apparently a lot of meths drinkers post war (not suggesting they were all war veterans. Cheap drink for alcoholics)

Caryl

[Chris_Baker]

On 18 August 1914 the "Times" reported that the price of cocaine had risen to 10 or even 12 shillings per ounce due to inability to import from Germany.

On 11 February 1916 the newspaper reported that a chemists shop in New Bond Street was fined £1 for selling a quantity of cocaine and morphine to one Frederick Branch "without an introduction and without entering his name and address in a book".

A letter of 14 February 1916 notes the recent prosecution at Folkestone for the sale of cocaine to Colonial troops and the evident addiction dangers of sending morphine to men at the front.

A letter of 22 June 1916 notes that Col Norton Griffiths was about to raise a question in the House concerning the abuse of cocaine by soldiers in the trenches. The "Times" suggested heavy penalties for misuse.

Many other instances of prosecution of small-time traffickers at home appear throughout the war.

On 25 July 1917 the death by overdose of a soldier who had been wounded and discharged from the army over a year before was reported. The Court admonished the supplying Doctor for having listened to a "cock and bull" story.

etc etc etc

So it went on - but judging by the relatively low level of reporting it hardly seems a major issue of the day.

[centurion]

Unless the symptoms weren't recognised as cocaine or drug withdrawal and other conclusions were made either in ignorance or deliberately? shell shock? PUO? fever? chills? Maybe they had injuries and were treated with strong opiates anyway masking withdrawals and/or the non-injured just went home and not being able to afford cocaine (apparently £10 legally then) just got over their withdrawal symptoms or turned to drink. There were apparently a lot of meths drinkers post war (not suggesting they were all war veterans. Cheap drink for alcoholics)

Caryl

Occam's razor would go for the simper solution that I've stated - no use = no withdrawal symptoms. The few cases Chris (and I) have quoted in various postings would be accounted for by the fact that in any body of about 9 million there will always be a few users. The evidence that exists suggests that the authorities were trying to stamp out even this. 

BTW cocaine was not legal at the end of the war (except when properly prescribed) so where "£10 legally" comes from is open to conjecture

[CarylW]

"legally", typo, meant to write 'illegally'. Street price in London, according to the same book

Caryl

[centurion]

"legally", typo, meant to write 'illegally'. 

I put it to you, me Lud, that this can make a significant difference.

[CarylW]

I put it to you, me Lud, that this can make a significant difference.

Oh absolutely, my learned friend

[Guest]

I knew absolutely nothing about this fascinating subject, but I would want a mind altering drug when leaving the trench's because doing so without would be too dreadful to comtemplate.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this post.

Paula