War Diaries Talk

S.K. shells

  • erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be by erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be

    Is what I found right: S.K.: a gas shell developed in South Kensington at the Imperial College of Science. Or is it something else?

    Posted

  • cyngast by cyngast moderator

    I think that might be it. I found several references to it and I can't find anything to indicate it is anything else. However, this article at The Long, Long Trail says that only the French fired gas shells on the Somme: http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-corps-of-royal-engineers-in-the-first-world-war/the-special-companies-of-the-royal-engineers-poison-gas/

    This second article also says that there were gas shells code-named SK: https://www.chemistryworld.com/feature/the-chemists-war/8837.article Also, in the section subtitled "A Weapon of Mass Destruction" in the first paragraph, before the photo, you'll see a reference to the gas being called "the accessory." I think you asked about that in the past week or so?

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  • erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be by erik.schaubroeckscarlet.be

    https://talk.operationwardiary.org/#/boards/BWD0000009/discussions/DWD0001ba8 is the link to the "accessories-question". Cynthia, I think you found the proof that accessories was a codename.

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  • ral104 by ral104 moderator, scientist

    Good detective work, Cynthia! And yes, I also think SK rounds are chemical shells. I certainly can't find any other reference to them.

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  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    Erik, Part of this article on SK shells mentions the South Kensington connection.

    Under paragraph - Both sides develop gas as an offensive weapon:

    In June 1915, British Commander-in-Chief Sir John French requested that 10% of all 4.5-inch, 60-pounder and 12-inch shell production should contain gas, in response to increased German use of lacrymatory (tear) gas shells. The first trial SK (South Kensington, codename for Ethyl Idoacetate) shells arrived in September 1915, but it was not until April 1916 that 10,000 rounds had arrived, giving a small battlefield supply. By the end of 1916, only 160,000 rounds had been delivered and it was not until large quantities of Phosgene shell became available in 1917 that the Army was adequately equipped. Link: http://www.1914-1918.net/specialcoyre.htm

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  • cyngast by cyngast moderator in response to marie.eklidvirginmedia.com's comment.

    Marie, Thanks for your help. However, this last article you link to is the same one from The Long, Long Trail that I linked to in my earlier response. At some point in the past year, that website changed its URL and what you have found is the text that is still online from the old URL. I actually found it first, too, and then looked for it on the website, where the format makes it a bit easier to read.

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  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    Hi Cynthia, I realized that after I had posted the information.

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  • cyngast by cyngast moderator in response to marie.eklidvirginmedia.com's comment.

    I hope I don't sound too much like a lecture.

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  • marie.eklidvirginmedia.com by marie.eklidvirginmedia.com

    Cynthia, don't worry about it, it is not a problem 😃

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