“Things very quiet everywhere bar the Somme. Yesterday I attended the Gas School and spent a very interesting day. During the morning we received a lecture which described the gas, how used and its results, etc. Before we managed to get anything like an efficient helmet we lost 15,000 men. Now our new helmet is absolutely the last word enabling a man to put it on in three seconds with immunity for 24 hours.
During the afternoon we were put through the different forms of gas of great concentration. The tear shell gas we were in with our helmets on and later when weaker without just to see what it was like. It has a strong pineapple odor and causes the eyes to water to an extraordinary degree. Next the chlorine gas. We went into trenches filled with gas strong enough to kill with one breath, then had various demonstrations of smoke bombs, etc. etc. My cigarette case came out of the ordeal quite black.” – 26th September 1916
The Daily Advertiser is publishing Harry Gissing’s 1916-18 diary entries, as a special online feature in the Advertiser 100 years to the day after each was written.
Click here to see some other Diary entries published online to date.
