Guest Dave_Kent Posted 3 October , 2003 Share Posted 3 October , 2003 Hello: I came across a reference to the Chemico Body Shield. Some form of "bullet-proof" jacket made of kapok, which was available to the British. The writer had 2 concerns, its cost and whether it actually worked. Can anyone give me more information on this item, maybe a picture? I found little through Google. How expensive was it, relative to the times? How well did it work? Are any known to have been used in the RFC / RNAS / RAF? Were similar items available to the French, Germans etc. ? Thanks Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 3 October , 2003 Share Posted 3 October , 2003 Dave - Welcome to the Forum You have asked the same question as I was planning to ask! I look forward to one, or more, of the Pals giving us a definitive answer on this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.r.f Posted 3 October , 2003 Share Posted 3 October , 2003 Hi Capock is a little like cotton ,ie it is the material that surrounds a seed.It is of tropical origin I think.It used to be used extensively as a filler for matresses.It was also used as an insulator things like anoracks for expiditions to the artic or ant artic.I would have thought it would have some stopping power,but I would not want to try it.The best old material would have been very closely woven silk.This may help a bit even if it doesnot answer the question properly. JOHN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 3 October , 2003 Share Posted 3 October , 2003 Was this the 'bullet-proof vest' endorsed by Conan Doyle? I heard a mention of this on a radio programme a few years ago. I believe it was manufactured in Nottingham (an offshoot of bicycle manufacturing). I put a posting about it on a predecessor to this forum but didn't get much of a response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Maier Posted 3 October , 2003 Share Posted 3 October , 2003 According to Phoenix Command Body Armor, the Chemico Body Shield dated from 1917. The site describes it as, "A commercial model body armor that was sold for use in the trenches of World War I. It was a vest-type jacket with groin protector, made from fabric bonded together with resin." Given the date, that would almost certainly have been a phenolic resin. However, a brief reference on the pages of Art New Zealand refers to a "First World War bullet-proof jacket - made of kapok. The bullet-proof jacket, aka the Chemico Body Shield, was an optional extra that well-heeled infantrymen could purchase to supplement their standard issue chainmail vest. Unspoken is the text that only the wealthy need apply." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 3 October , 2003 Share Posted 3 October , 2003 The Chemico Body Shield was one of two types of soft body armor used by the British . The other being the silk necklet. The Body shield was manufactured by the County Chemical Company of Birmingham. The armor is a heavily padded waistcoat weighing six pounds. A test conducted by Bashford Dean in Washington DC. demonstrated it was capable of stopping an automatic pistol ball (9mm?), jacketed in alloy, at a velocity of 300 foot seconds. The padding is about an inch thick and is composed of many layers of tissue, scraps of linen, cotton and silk, said to be hardened by a resinous material; is covered with brown muslin. The Chemico Body Shield only saw extremely limited service. Its cost was around £4. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hone Posted 6 October , 2003 Share Posted 6 October , 2003 The Conan Doyle version seems to have been made of woven asbestos by a Herbert Frood of Chapel-En-Le-Frith. Some details are given in this Canadian newspaper article: http://www.cbupub.com/pao/issue6/uniform-1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 6 October , 2003 Share Posted 6 October , 2003 I believe I saw a German 'armoured vest' in the Historiale at Peronne earlier this year. Sorry my memory is not what it was but I'm fairly certain it was made of toughened leather. The design looked very similar to the British one pictured; but I seem to remember that it was designed more for sentry duty than for troops going over the top. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hill 60 Posted 6 October , 2003 Share Posted 6 October , 2003 Thank you to all those who have enlightened me! The name of this item sounds like it forms part of a chemical warfare unit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dave_Kent Posted 6 October , 2003 Share Posted 6 October , 2003 Hello: Yes, Thank you to all who replied. My main interest is in FWW aviation and I normally post on The Aerodrome as I did with this item. A member there suggested that the 1914-1918 Forum might be helpful with this particular request. He was obviously right. The year 1917 is interesting. My source is WINGS OVER THE SOMME, Lewis, specifically a letter written by Lewis to his father on 25 Sept. 1916. The discussion of the Chemico Body Shield is a reply to his father's offer to buy the item and send it out for his use. Thanks again Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Bramley Posted 8 October , 2003 Share Posted 8 October , 2003 Hi, I found this by chance and remebered this post, not quite the same thing but interesting! http://www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk/col...orsor/wos3d.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coulson Posted 10 October , 2003 Share Posted 10 October , 2003 Advertisement in the Times in 1915 was for the "Dayfield Body Shield" priced at 22 shillings and sixpence. Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edward_N_Kelly Posted 16 October , 2003 Share Posted 16 October , 2003 I can recommend the books by Anthony Saunders on "Dominating the Enemy: War in the Trenches 1914-18" at Amazon UK and his other on Weapons of the Trench War. The former talks a lot on the various body shields, vests, armour, etc that were proposed, some accepted and produced and some even used by the troops .... Edward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wade Posted 3 June , 2014 Share Posted 3 June , 2014 Well, this is a very old thread but I have an answer of sorts and this seems to be the best place to post this advert from the Keighley News dated 7th July 1917: In another edition of the newspaper somewhere, there's another version of this advert with an endorsement from a soldier who says it saved his life. But for the life of me I can't find it now. If I do come across it again I'll post it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wade Posted 8 June , 2014 Share Posted 8 June , 2014 And here's the Chemico Body Shield advert with a personal endorsement by letter to his father, from C. Feather who says it saved his life: There is at least one Charles Feather from Keighley who served in the war, I'm currently researching him. Will post here if anything related to the Chemico body shield comes up. What I have found is that Private Charles Feather was a Northumberland Fusilier and the man in the picture looks to have a Fusiliers badge on his cap. Is it possible that the man pictured is Charles Feather? Not sure how easily they would have been able to arrange this picture to be honest, but it's quite a coincidence if its not him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centurion Posted 8 June , 2014 Share Posted 8 June , 2014 It's a bit like a patent parachute, you're only going to get testimonials from those for whom it worked (no matter how few) and not going to hear from those for whom it didn't (except possibly in the letters page of Popular Medium) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wade Posted 8 June , 2014 Share Posted 8 June , 2014 Indeed. I'm not commenting on the effectiveness of the body shield though, merely that it existed and was on sale (with the price) as requested by the first poster in this thread. I don't doubt that the advert would 'big it up' as it was in their vested interest to make it sound good, especially if they could claim that it had actually saved a life. Also, posting it on here also means that a Google search will pick it up and you never know, somebody somewhere may actually have one without realising what it is. I would love to see one for myself or even a picture of one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianmorris547 Posted 8 June , 2014 Share Posted 8 June , 2014 The Bolton Evening News started to advertise the Chemico Body Shield in 1917. Same picture as in post 14 by Andy (but from a retailer in Bolton). Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noyes16 Posted 15 May , 2018 Share Posted 15 May , 2018 Came across this thread and thought I'd show everyone my "replica" Chemico Body Shield. As I didn't have an original to hand it's obviously not and exact copy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 25 September , 2023 Share Posted 25 September , 2023 Clearly a product of some discussion Hansard record ... BODY ARMOUR. HC Deb 28 May 1918 vol 106 cc649-50650 §Mr. LESLIE SCOTT asked the Undersecretary of State for War whether he is aware that the Chemico body-shield when worn by soldiers has successfully resisted both bullets and shrapnel and already saved many lives which otherwise would certainly have been lost; whether, if it were included in the Regulation outfit of officers and men, a very large number of casualties would be avoided; and whether the Government will therefore take steps to have it put into universal and immediate use? §Mr. MACPHERSON Other forms of body armour have been found more satisfactory, and have consequently been issued in preference to the Chemico body-shield. [Interesting to note he does not elaborate on more satisfactory products] M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB1943 Posted 29 September , 2023 Share Posted 29 September , 2023 On 03/10/2003 at 15:59, Clive Maier said: According to Phoenix Command Body Armor, the Chemico Body Shield dated from 1917. The site describes it as, "A commercial model body armor that was sold for use in the trenches of World War I. It was a vest-type jacket with groin protector, made from fabric bonded together with resin." Given the date, that would almost certainly have been a phenolic resin. However, a brief reference on the pages of Art New Zealand refers to a "First World War bullet-proof jacket - made of kapok. The bullet-proof jacket, aka the Chemico Body Shield, was an optional extra that well-heeled infantrymen could purchase to supplement their standard issue chainmail vest. Unspoken is the text that only the wealthy need apply." “……standard issue chain mail vest.” WHAT? I know that tankers used a chain-mail visor attached to the front brim of the helmet to protect their face/eyes from metal splinters. Regards, JMB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chasemuseum Posted 29 September , 2023 Share Posted 29 September , 2023 Below is a useful book on the development of helmets and body armour during the Great War. It details several patterns of body armour that received large scale trials by the BEF during the war https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/Helmets_and_Body_Armor_in_Modern_Warfare by Bashford Dean, Curator of Arms & Armour in the 1920's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB1943 Posted 30 September , 2023 Share Posted 30 September , 2023 Chase, Yes, I have had that book for quite a while, but don’t remember anything about chain-mail vests. Will have to dig it out over the weekend and browse again. Regards, JMB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 30 September , 2023 Share Posted 30 September , 2023 11 hours ago, JMB1943 said: to supplement their standard issue chainmail vest That bit had me scratching my head too. "Standard issue" ??? Just how many soldiers got them? Puzzling. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chasemuseum Posted 30 September , 2023 Share Posted 30 September , 2023 7 hours ago, JMB1943 said: anything about chain-mail vests There is nothing about chainmail vests. I have not read my copy for several years but am quite sure of that. There are the multi-layer silk collars that will stop a pistol bullet and the Dayfield body armour. These are the only two I remember in the book as being issued as trials in large quantities. The Dayfield is on page 117-120. Deane states that 20,000 sets total of the light and heavy versions were trialled. The light version was unsuccessful. The US Army trialled the lightweight version in 1918 in France, at 25m it would stop .45acp pistol rounds but the .30cal rifle went through at 200 yards. On 26/09/2023 at 05:47, Matlock1418 said: Other forms of body armour have been found more satisfactory, and have consequently been issued in preference to the Chemico body-shield. See above. Still 20,000 sets to 60 infantry division is still a relatively small scale of issue. They only widespread use of chain mail I am familiar with is chain mail visors to protect the eyes, with tank crewmen's face masks and the variation of the Brodie helmet with the "Cruise" chain mail visor after Dr Capt Richard Cruise RAMC. About 113,000 of the latter were issued. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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