SEAWEED and SAA

[4thGordons]

I just got back from a short family break to San Diego Ca.

No WWI stuff really - it was intended as a family getaway and I had just dedicated three days solid to the WWI event here in town, so I wasn't pushing my luck.

However - I noticed this little placard in the Maritime Museum in San Diego (actually it was inside the either the reproduction British Frigate (Used in the film "Master and Commander") or the merchant ship the Star of India.

This was not something I had heard about before.

Chris

[David B]

Chris,

It surprises me that Britain didn't turn to the Channel Islands for supplies of seaweed. they call it VRAIC (how you pronounce it is another question), but a huge harvest is done annually for seaweed

supplies for farm fertilizer. Maybe there wasn't enough of it to warrant collecting for munition production.

[TonyE]

Hi Chris et al. Sorry, I was not around yesterday to answer this post.

There is a considerable amount of information about the production of acetone in the official History of the Ministry of Munitions. I forget which volume it is in but I will try to look it out today and post a precis.

Regards

TonyE

[Old Tom]

I believe that in WW1 and WW2 horse chestnuts were collected and used in the production of acetone. Certainly in WW2,as a child, I remember collecting horse chestnuts and getting a few pence per bushel?. I think we were told they were needed for animal food.

Old Tom