Court of Inquiry

[Dirty Harry]

Hiya,

 

I am trying to find courts of inquiry dealing with gas attacks on the 1st and 7th Bn R Innis Fus.  Ive had a look through TNA but cant turn up anything useful.  Would such records still exist and where on earth might they be found?

 

Thanks,

 

Paul

[charlie962]

Not sure I understand the question? Why a court of enquiry? When?

[Moonraker]

Why should there be courts of enquiry into gas attacks on a unit - unless there was widespread panic and/or a mishandling of the situation, a shortage of gas-masks or an unusually high number of casualties?

[Dirty Harry]

not using their gas masks correctly was the acquisation.  The courts im assuming were held in 1916

[FROGSMILE]

It’s extremely unlikely that courts of inquiry records would survive.  They are not disciplinary (connected with military law), they are administrative and intended just to establish facts and, when required in the ‘terms of reference’, make recommendations.

Your first course of action should be to check battalion, brigade and divisional war diaries to establish what happened.

[charlie962]

Not using their gas masks correctly ... Suggests self inflicted wounds or negligence?

[FROGSMILE]

1 minute ago, charlie962 said:

Not using their gas masks correctly ... Suggests self inflicted wounds or negligence?

Or inadequate training.  It’s not something that a soldier about to suffocate is likely to do through idleness.  More likely is a combination of panic and a lack of familiarity with the equipment.

[Dirty Harry]

Will look at divisional corps and army level.

I think I read a gas mask would last 25 minutes. Is this correct?

[FROGSMILE]

2 hours ago, Dirty Harry said:

Will look at divisional corps and army level.

I think I read a gas mask would last 25 minutes. Is this correct?

I don’t know, but the answer should be here:  https://simonjoneshistorian.com/2018/03/02/1915-the-first-british-gas-masks/

[kenf48]

1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers - 29th Division Landed France March 1916

7th Inniskilling Fusiliers - 16th (Irish) Division Landed France 1916

 

German Cloud Gas attacks 1916

27th April 1916  Hulluch

29th April 1916  Hulluch

30th April 1916 Wulverghem

17th June 1916 Wulverghem

8th August 1916 Wietje 

The relevant attacks as far as the 7th Battalion was concerned were those of the 27th and 29th when the Battalion suffered 263 casualties.  The 8th Inniskillings 386 casualties (or 73% of their strength);the 7th Royal Irish Fusiliers 80 casualties and the 8th Royal Dublin Fusiliers 385 gas casualties. As the attacks were so close together it was not possible to separate the casualties to each respective date but what was clear is they were holding that part of the line closest to the German front when the gas was released.  The 900 or so casualties from these four Battalions accounted for three quarters of the total of 1,260.

I don’t know about a ‘court of inquiry ’ but the OH Medical Services Diseases of the War  Volume 2 gives a detailed account of the attack on the 30th April and states that as each attack was of a similar nature this was chosen as it had the most reliable data available.  Clearly a great deal of effort went into establishing the facts of the account.

Box respirators were not put into production until June 1916, but had been issued to specialist units such as machine gunners by the time of the April attacks.. The soldiers involved in the April attacks were probably equipped with ‘P’. or ‘PH helmets’.  Although effective this type of protective equipment  had limitations but I’m unaware that duration was one.

Medical Services does not reference any ‘Court of inquiry’ but clearly as with all aspects of the ‘learning curve’ there was an investigation and analysis as evidenced by the 30th April account

https://archive.org/details/medicalservicesd02macp/page/279/mode/1up

As noted in the above, the men in the front line  had only seconds to put on their masks.  The release of gas was masked by accompanying gunfire. In places carried on a favourable wind at bout 10 to 12mph over a short distance, and one unprotected breath was enough to incapacitate in sufficient concentration.