![]() The first counter measures against Chlorine was use of a cotton face mask and goggles designed by Dr Cluny MacPherson. One scientist called John Haldane even gassed himself to feel the effects of the gas. Army Medical Officers and Scientists went to great lengths to find ways to counter this new form of warfare. They themselves used chlorine but due to wind change the gas was blown back towards the British Lines. The First use of the British using gas was a disaster when on the 25th April 1915 during the Battle for Loos. ![]() If the air was dry the gas would linger and dispel over a short time. Wind was favourable as if it was blowing towards the enemy the gas was able to travel faster and spread. The Weather was a key factor when using gas. Causing heavy loses to the defending British, Canadian and French troops but they were still able to hold back the advancing Germans. It wasn’t till the 22nd April 1915, The Germans used gas to good effect near the Belgium town of Ypres. However, instead of vaporizing, the chemical froze and failed to have the desired effect due to the cold weather. The first instance of large-scale use of gas was on the 31st January 1915, when the Germans fired artillery shells containing tear gas on Russian positions on the Rawka River, west of Warsaw during the Battle of Bolimov. These didn’t work as expected and very soon stopped being used. The earliest military uses of chemicals were tear-gas grenades used by the French in 1914 though they were not designed to kill but to irritate the eyes and skin.
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