GAS VERSUS HIGH EXPLOSIVE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 6 August 1941, Page 6

GAS VERSUS HIGH EXPLOSIVE

•Although in the Inst gas attack in ! th last war, against French colonial j troops who had no gas masks or other protection, and between 15,009 and 20, i 000 temporarily incapacita* by the end i of the war, when our troops had gas masks and training and did not panic.! it took nearly eight tons of mustard gas j to kill one British soldier,” said Dr. James Kendall, professor of chemistry; at Edinburgh University, in a recent j address. "In the last two months of j the war the firing of 4000 tons of mus- j tard gas caused 540 deaths. Further- , more, it had to be remembered that the ’ soldier at the time of the attack might{ be exerting himself, breathing at ten j times the normal rate, and might not I have time to put on his gas mask, j I was difficult to estimate how many j tr would be required to kill one civi-l Jian, warned of a raid, and wearing, a perfect gas mask, and breathing quiet- j lv and without exertion. On th other j hand, eight torts of high explosive could 1