![]() Their throats are burned, they spit up blood, they struggle to find a bit of oxygen.īuilding on this initial success, the German general staff asks Fritz Haber to produce additional chlorine for new attacks. Without protection when faced with this new enemy, the few survivors flee. With the soldiers caught totally off guard, the French units panic. Though article 23 of the Hague Convention prohibits the use of poisonous weapons, on 22 April 1915 at Langemarck (city located north of Ypres), the Germans are trying at all costs to dislodge the Allies from the trenches, and therefore position tanks containing chlorine gas they use the wind to direct this gas toward the French lines of the 87th territorial division and the 45th Algerian division. As such, the Germans opt for chlorine gas, which meets all of the aforesaid characteristics. It must be dense enough to remain compact once released, but it must also infiltrate every cavity by staying close to the ground. The usage of gas as a weapon results in many technical complications. Other tests had been undertaken before the Yser front, but only with relative efficiency and never in such proportions. The designer of this fatal invention is the German chemist Fritz Haber, director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Germany. April 1915 will see the recourse to the first weapon of mass destruction in violation of the Hague Convention of 1907 (agreement between belligerent countries regarding the "rules" to be followed in wartime). But the Allied countries were no less shocked by this.īelgium will be the setting for an unfortunate worldwide innovation. However surprising it may be, Fritz Haber will later receive the Nobel Prize for chemistry, more for his contribution to agricultural fertilizers than for his involvement in chemical warfare. Gas will make life impossible in the trenches, and its inventor, for his part, will be crowned with laurels. Would it be possible to introduce a new weapon? A terrifying weapon that could cause the enemy to quickly abandon its positions? A weapon that, beyond its immediate effect, would cause a long-term psychological effect?Indeed, if it seems that the war won't be won by physically affecting the opposing soldiers, it may be possible to attack the last thing remaining to them: their morale. The Germans are looking for an efficient means of clearing the Allies from their trenches, given that classical artillery is having little impact. Many children from Leeds were sent to Lincolnshire for safety at this time but as the war did not start immediately some of them came back home to Leeds.Barely a few months after hostilities began, the conflict begins to bog down: the movement war gives way to the trench war. The period of time between September 1939 and April 1940 was called ‘The Phoney War’ as nothing actually happened, but it did give people time to prepare for when the bombings actually started. Annie had a friend called Bill who came to Leeds and ended up staying for eight years. Some children were even evacuated to Leeds, especially if they were from London and had relatives in the Leeds area. Some children were evacuated out of the cities and into the country as it was felt that they would be safer there. Over the next few weeks the country prepared for war. Everyone had to stand up and sing, ‘God Save our Gracious King.’ The National Anthem was sung every day at Annie’s school.All the windows had to be taped up to help reinforce the glass in case there was a bombing that might shatter the glass.Everyone had to have an identity card with a number and an identity disc.Like many children, Annie made a brown cardboard case for her gas mask and then she made a waterproof cover. Babies had ‘Mickey Mouse’ gas masks that they could lie down in. There were daily inspections and practices and if you forgot your gas mask you would have to go home for it. All children had to carry a gas mask at all times.You could only have another pencil if you had the stub of your old pencil as evidence that you needed a new one, so if you lost your pencil stub you were in trouble! Pencils had to be used until they were very small.One book was used for all subjects as there was a shortage of paper.Retired teachers were asked to return to work to help out the war effort and even married women, who had previously been forced to give up their jobs on getting married, were asked to return to teaching. When Annie did go back to school there were few male teachers as they had all been conscripted for the war. Initially children attended school for just five half days or three full days a week. The Summer holidays were extended and children had 13 weeks of holiday. ![]() Annie did not go back to school in September.
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