First gas attack

[AOK4]

Hello,

while browsing through WW1 newspapers I found a very interesting article in the local newspaper of Kortrijk from 27 September 1914.

According to the article it is a translation from the Pall Mall Gazette from London.

In it is a story about a successful French gas attack with Turpinite (invented by a man called Turpin). The gas apparently could kill all Germans in a trench without causing any pain.

Any views?

[Roy Evans]

There is a feature on gas attacks on the site firstworldwar.com

Apparently the French used Turpinite in August 1914. It was a liquid, the fumes of which caused asphyxiation.

Painless?

[trenchwalker]

funnily enough the person who decided the british army was for useing gas.

his father almost decided to use gas in the crimea war. what he wanted to use was coke and deasel fuel. which created a smog suffercating the turks it was never used.

i have always been told the first attack was done by the germans against the russians

[MartinWills]

his father almost decided to use gas in the crimea war. what he wanted to use was coke and deasel fuel. which created a smog suffercating the turks it was never used.

I rather doubt this - the Turks were supportive of the British campaign and provided the famous Scutari barracks for Florence Nightingale to use as a Hospital. We were not fighting against them!

[Chris_Baker]

funnily enough the person who decided the british army was for useing gas.

his father almost decided to use gas in the crimea war. what he wanted to use was coke and deasel fuel. which created a smog suffercating the turks it was never used.

Trench, you've got me this time. I am confused.

In the first line, who are you referring to?

In the second, something must be wrong as diesel fuel was not invented until more than 40 years after the Crimean war!

[trenchwalker]

oh sorry having no knowledge of anything pre boer war.

it was the russians in the crimea aint it.

anyway

i aint got a clue what his name was but will find out tomorrow for you.

[Terry_Reeves]

Trenchwalker,

I think you may be referring to Lord Thomas Cochrane, a naval officer who later became the 10th Earl of Dundonald. Of scientific mind, he had studied sulphur production whilst stationed in Sicily and noted its effects on vegitation and animal life. He suggested the use of a mixture of sulphur and and coaltar as a weapon of war in 1812 but the idea was never taken up. He resurrected the idea again during the Crimean War, as a means of driving out the Russians from Sevastopol but again it was not adopted. In 1914, his grandson, the 12th Earl, touted the idea around the War Office, and although briefly considered, it was dropped in early 1915.

Terry Reeves

[trenchwalker]

Hoorah

he knows what im talking about.