J R Army Med Corps 2003; 149: 138-141 J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-149-02-11 on 1 June 2003. Downloaded from OUT OF THE ARCHIVES Some Recollections of Porton in World War 1 Commentary JP Garner

Chemical weapons now regularly feature in news R.M.A. Woolwich, and had specialised in reports and the threat from them has become science before I left school. Thus Professor widely recognised by the public at large.Terrorist Barcroft (later Sir Joseph), who had known actions such as the Tokyo subway incident in me from childhood, thought I could be 1995, coupled with the persistent use of agents usefully employed in devilling for the team of such as sulphur mustard and Sarin by the Iraqi eminent physiologists he had assembled at regime over the last 20 years in the Iran/Iraq war Porton to research into the toxicity and and against the Kurds of Northern Iraq, make it effects of various substances used in easy to think that chemical weapons are a new chemical warfare.These physiologists all had phenomenon. This paper reminds us that many commissions in the R.A.M.C. and were chemical agents were developed during WWI; generally referred to by their colleagues at indeed the first use of a chemical agent was the Porton as ‘The b-- body snatchers’. I was release of chlorine gas – a choking agent – by the given an honorary commission in the Germans over the battlefields of Ypres in 1915. General List–and became ‘a snatcher’. Porton Down remains at the very heart of Porton in those days centered on the main chemicals and biological weapons research, albeit camp, which contained laboratories, in a purely defensive capacity; few of the old engineering shops, ammunition stores, buildings remain and the idyllic lifestyle in the administrative offices, and accommodation Officer’s Mess at Idmiston Manor has long since for the troops working on the various disappeared. These recollections provide a experiments. Many of them had served with fascinating insight into scientific research at the the Special Brigade R.E. There was a time of World War I. network of trenches in the middle of the ground, which could be exposed to clouds of SOME RECOLLECTIONS OF gas released from cylinders, shells, Stokes PORTON IN WORLD WAR 1 mortars, and Livens projectors. These Sir Austin Anderson, Kt. trenches were equipped with a large number of electrically controlled vacuum sampling

A year or so ago we published the exper- http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ iences of Inspector General F.W. Innes in the bottles to measure the concentration of gas in Indian Mutiny and sent copies of the the cloud and, on some occasions they were publication to his descendants, one of whom ‘manned’ by a contingent of tethered goats, was Sir Austin Anderson. The latter with whose respiration rate was–I was told–much great generosity presented the Historical like that of a man. The guns, sited on a hill Library with a most interesting series of about 2000 yards away from the trenches, Peninsular War letters written by his direct were mainly manned by gunners recovering forbear–Inspector General John Murray–and from wounds. They claimed–with what truth now adds to our indebtedness by giving us I know not–that they received ‘danger pay’ his experiences as a young officer at Porton for shooting experimental gas shells at goats, in World War I. Although the recollections but it automatically stopped when they on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. have been deliberately written in a light returned to France to be shot at by the hearted vein they do not hide the dedications Germans.The Officers’ Mess, where most of and bravery of those who worked at Porton us lived, was in a delightful old house, and who so fearlessly explored the unknown. Idmiston Manor, near the main entrance to When the crude “tools” at their disposal are the ground. considered the achievements of the Porton The Physiological Section, where I staff are all the more outstanding and worked, was at Boscombe Down Farm about admirable. half a mile away from the main camp. It These recollections are therefore of consisted of an old brick building and about importance and value and we have no doubts half a dozen wooden huts. These housed that our readers will share the interest and laboratories, offices, and a small gas chamber amusement which they gave to us when we entered through an airlock and equipped Maj JP Garner first saw them. EDITOR. with a vapourising spray operated from MRCSEd RAMC outside. There was also accommodation for Specialist Registrar in I went to the gas experimental station at the goats, monkeys, dogs, cats, rabbits, General Surgery Porton in the autumn of 1917, which, I guinea pigs and rats on which we Surgical Research think, was about a year after it had been experimented. I carried out the orders of Fellow DstL Porton, established. I had been invalided out of the Sailsbury, Wilts, Professor (turned Major) A. E. Boycott, who SP4 OJQ Editor’s Note: This paper first appeared in the Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps in July 1972 Out Of The Archives 139

was an inspiring master and an ardent with our crude sense of humour thought J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-149-02-11 on 1 June 2003. Downloaded from pacifist. However, although he considered funny, though I do not think the French World War I to be the greatest manifestation victims did. A few breaths of the arsenical of Anglo-German folly, he saw no alternative smoke e.g. that produced by heating di- to making his maximum contribution phenyl-chlor-arsine (D.A.) produced a towards an Allied Victory. The day after the distinctly painful choking effect which was Armistice, however, he flatly refused to have somewhat alarming until experience had anything more to do with gas warfare. Our taught you that the pain passed off in less experiments consisted of exposing the whole than an hour. When we were experimenting range of animals to various concentrations of with these smokes we used to carry small gases for various times and noting the ampoules of chloroform as sniffing at them mortality rate. From these results we plotted mitigated the pain.The military advantage of graphs which compared the relative killing these smokes was that they penetrated the power of various substances.When it came to respirators then in use unless they were fitted measuring the blistering, lachrymatory or with special filters to keep smoke out. The sternutatory powers of things like mustard French maintained that their respirators gas or the arsenical smokes we had to rely on offered complete protection and needed no our own skins, lungs and eyes, but provided modification. Our experiments with French we took sensible precautions there was no respirators led us to the opposite conclusion. danger of any human guinea pig suffering We, therefore, asked the French to send any serious damage. someone over to Porton to demonstrate the There was, however, one occasion on efficiency of their respirator by walking about which our much admired leader Professor in D.A. cloud accompanied by some of us Barcroft did subject his life to a wisely wearing modified British respirators. calculated but definite risk. We all had the They did so and the poor man got a very greatest affection for him and could well painful lesson in his superiors fallibility. He believe the truth in the remark attributed to used up so many chloroform ampoules to him, “In war I find it very hard to reconcile alleviate his suffering that he passed out after my instincts as an Irishman with my telling his British companions that his life convictions as a Quaker”. The following had been endangered by their diabolical incident is but one illustration of his habit of negligence. However, I do not think that he proving the accuracy of his theories by trying bore us any ill will after he had recovered. them out on himself. Captain “Bunny” Peters, M.C. (later Sir We and the French were both Rudolph) and Captain (I think Professor) experimenting with the efficiency of Dunn were prominent and very congenial Hydrogen Cyanide as a killer gas. They members of our team at Boscombe, but in

manned their experimental trenches with my very junior capacity I had no contact with http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ dogs whereas we used goats. A high the research they were doing. I fancy Peters percentage of their dogs died in the HCN was starting his distinguished career as a cloud whereas most of our goats survived. biochemist and I remember Dunn deep in Thus a fierce argument was raging as to the study of microscope slides of gassed whether in his susceptibility to HCN a man lungs. I do not remember any photographs was like a dog or a goat. Experiments in our being taken but we had a tame artists gas chamber at Boscombe showed that (Captain Stainer) who had a full time job exposed to HCN dogs first went painting gruesome pictures in oils for Dunn’s unconscious and then after breathing in records of organs taken from post mortems more gas died far more quickly than goats on gassed animals. Barcroft, who was the and – what seemed more significant – only one of us who wore civilian clothes, only on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. monkeys. One night Barcroft without telling spent part of his time at Porton. He made anyone of his intentions waited until the rest fairly frequent visits to G.H.Q. in France, of us at Boscombe had gone back to the where I am sure he did not conform as mess. He then got hold of a Corporal to help closely to the regular soldiers’ conception of him and to act as a witness. He then raised a a University boffin as did his good friend and fairly high concentration of HCN in the intellectual sparring partner Professor chamber, and accompanied by a dog on a Haldane from Oxford. Haldene was sent out lead walked through the air lock into the gas on a visit to France soon after the Germans without a gas mask. He waited the few first used gas in April 1915 and I was told minutes necessary for the HCN to knock out was the first person to suggest protecting the dog and came out of the chamber very yourself against chlorine clouds by urinating much on his feet. When he got back to the on your handkerchief. I was told his donnish mess he reported what he had done but went appearance and manner shook the brass hats to bed early because he “still felt a bit to the core, especially as they thought it muzzy”. Otherwise he suffered no ill effects inconceivable that a civilian scientist could in proving that the French were over- contribute anything towards improving estimating the value of HCN as a killer. military efficiency. Barcroft also acted as a Another difference of opinion with the very skillful conductor of the “working tea French produced an incident to which we breaks” we had every afternoon at 140 Out Of The Archives

Boscombe. These were often attended by equally diluted drops of HS. J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-149-02-11 on 1 June 2003. Downloaded from visitors such as the Chemical Advisors from I do not think that anyone at Porton ever the various Armies in France, scientific doubted that the large number of pundits like Sir Hartley, and American experiments we carried out on animals were scientists both civil and military. The essential if we were to get on with our job. subjects discussed varied from the Incidentally some of our dealings with completely frivolous to the highly technical, animals were sometimes entertaining. There and I am sure these teas did much in was a highly intelligent and friendly little promoting new ideas and general co- monkey that the men loved so much that operation between all concerned. they made him a little khaki coat with We had to experiment with a wide range of corporal stripes, christened him the A.P.M., chemicals which various people thought and gave him the free run of the animals’ might help to make life unpleasant for the quarters. He never went into the gas Germans. Many proved quite useless. chamber and I think survived the war. There However, we were told that a very eminent was also the horrifyingly large billy goat, British physiologist had turned down a which broke its head rope when being led suggestion that we should use mustard gas into the chamber and knocked two lads for months before the Germans did in fact use six before he vanished into the darkness. I it, on the grounds that you could not get a was told that the next morning he was high enough concentration into the air to kill discovered “loitering with intent” outside the people after a short exposure. This is true, Colonel’s office in the main camp.There was though he entirely missed out on its ability a large and very fierce baboon which to cause enormous casualties by its managed to open his cage after he had been blistering potential. We had, therefore, to be put into the chamber. The result was that careful that we did not miss an obvious trick Boycott, who had been stowing some other in the same way. One of the worst flops was animal cages on the floor of the chamber powdered glass, which was keenly advocated suddenly raised his head to find himself by people who presumably had studied the confronted with a very nasty looking set of Borgias. Nobody knew how we were teeth at a range of about 18 inches. He not supposed to insert it into the German surprisingly took speedy evasive action and anatomy. We blew it in the faces of various the baboon shot through the open air lock. animals who didn’t mind in the least and He promptly encountered one of the men, even goats, who seemed to regard rubber who ran for his life and then foolishly fled up tubbing as a delicacy, would not eat it. a ladder. The baboon followed him to the Another flop was a kind of concentrated top, gave him a fierce nip on the seat of his essence of cayenne pepper which was pants, and then returned to base.

suggested as a filling for gas shells. I On Armistice night some of those in charge http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ remember sitting in a dugout on a of the animals celebrated the general particularly cold day waiting with several rejoicing by releasing most of the monkeys. others to dash out and sniff the cloud As far as I know they were never seen again produced by a lot of trench mortar bombs except by some agricultural labourers. These containing this essence electrically exploded men were peacefully eating their lunch under near the dugout. As far as I can remember some trees a long way from the camp when none of us even sneezed. they were frightened out of their lives by The two poisons we handled with the some hideous chattering and grinning faces greatest respect were phosgene (CG) and in the branches above their heads. They fled mustard gas (HS). Fortunately for us nerve in terror, and when they cautiously returned gases had not been invented in those days. all that remained of their lunch was some on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. Both of them were insidious and the after- paper fluttering down from the tree tops. effects of a very small dose of either was Being by far the youngest and probably the enough to remind you to be more careful the best cross country runner of the ‘snatchers’ I next time you handled them. We therefore got all kinds of odd jobs. I was posted to the approached our first sample of Lewisite with deep field about a mile away from the point great caution as it had had a tremendous at which arsenical smoke clouds were propaganda and psychological warfare build released. I then had to watch their progress up from the Americans as a horrifying secret across country, get into them, and judge their weapon. However, I do not think it was potency by sniffing. As the clouds were apt to described as the ‘dew of death one drop of change direction unexpectedly, considerable which can kill all the population of a large fleetness of foot was needed to get into town’ until after the first war. Lewisite was position to receive the cloud. My ability to do supposed to combine and multiply the this job led to my being a member of a fairly potency of both CG and HS but in our view large party from Porton which was sent after trying it out it fell a long way short of out in November 1918 to do a large doing so. Incidentally as we had some – scale experiment with the discharge of admittedly somewhat diluted–drops of it on arsenical smoke (DM) at the French Gas our arms without having anything to Experimental Station at Entresen near Arles compare with the blisters caused by an in the Bouches du Rhone. We were told by Out Of The Archives 141

the experts that the existence of the Mistral go on week-end leave. I therefore anticipated J R Army Med Corps: first published as 10.1136/jramc-149-02-11 on 1 June 2003. Downloaded from in these parts guaranteed a wind constant in what should have been the final test and put a precisely predictable direction over a a drop of alcohol on the earth to pick up any stretch of flat and more or less desert mustard that was present. It was present all country. Either the Meterologists or the right, and I went on leave with my arm in a Mistral failed to do their stuff, as soon after sling and bear the marks of my folly to this the canisters generating the smoke had been day. Quite rightly, I got scant sympathy from let off the wind changed direction.The result my colleagues, but some of them found my was that the cloud (after passing the close blistered arm quite useful for trying out range sampling bottles) instead of coming for experimental cures for HS burns. me went over a party of Indo-Chinese Life at Boscombe was pretty strenuous and labourers, working on a French aerodrome. Boycott and I spent a lot of time dodging in Their tearful lamentations in Chinese had to and out of gas with our gas masks on or at act as a substitute for my evidence that the the ready. However, there was no real risk of smoke was doing all that was expected of it at suffering serious damage unless you did long ranges. something silly and allowed familiarity to Another job of mine was trying out the breed contempt of the poisons we handled. efficiency of a small piece of apparatus which I was very kindly allowed to visit Porton bubbled air through some liquid intended to again in the 1950’s and found myself change colour with the minutest traces of completely lost in the huge number of large mustard gas vapour. This was supposed to brick buildings that have replaced the indicate whether ground which had once relatively few and small wooden huts of been shelled with German Yellow Cross (i.e. 1917. The size and sophisticated technology mustard) shells was now fit for occupation by of the microbiological laboratories impressed troops. We created a small artificial mustard me enormously, especially when I contrasted gas shell hole at Boscombe and I used to go them with our crude research methods of out and test it once a day. To start with the over 50 years ago. Presumably the files giving liquid changed colour immediately, but after the details of our researches are buried a month of very hot weather with numerous somewhere in the basement of the Porton of heavy thunderstorms it ceased to do so. I today and will only be of interest to the gave it another week to be on the safe side, military archaelogists of the future. I hope, and then went on with the next test which however, that my recollections of life at consisted of strapping a small pill box Porton in the last years of World War I will containing earth from the shell hole on my provide some interest and amusement to arm. I was young, foolish, and in a hurry to anyone who reads them. http://militaryhealth.bmj.com/ on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright.