Rhydymwyn Valley History Society

  August   The French used tear gas grenades against the Germans.This was not detected by the Germans October   The Germans used chemical irritants against the French at Neuve Chapelle in fragmentation shells.

  31 January   The Germans used tear gas howitzer shells against the Russians at Bolimov. March   The Germans used improved tear gas at Nieuport against the French.  22 April   The Germans used chlorine from canisters at the Second Battle of Ypres. Decimating 2 divisions of French and Algerian Colonial troops. 6 August   The Germans use phosgene against the Russians defending the fortress at Osiewiec 24 September   The British used chlorine from cylinders at the Battle of Loos 19 December   The first combined chlorine–phosgene attack by Germany, against British troops at Wieltje near Ypres

    Phosgene attacks were widely used by both sides

  September   The Germans began using mustard gas at Riga against the Russians leading to widespread use on both sides fired mainly from shells.

    There were 188,706 British gas casualties with 8,109 deaths (Russia had 419,340 casualties and 56,000 deaths). There was no centralized chemical warfare manufacture in the UK. All production was through a dispersed number of small manufacturers.

  17 June   The Geneva Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare was signed by all the major powers except Japan. This prohibited the first use of such weapons but not their manufacure. J.B.S. Haldane, the geneticist and evolutionary biologist wrote his famous monograph Callinicus, a Defence of Chemical Weapons

      The development on plant scale of the distillation process was completed at Sutton Oak. This produced a mixture of 60% H and 40% T (Reports CD 1020 and CD 996). The technique was used by the Germans in WWI. The two plants that were constructed at Randle 1940 are described in Z/CK/65. 29 September   The Munich Agreement was signed by Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain. Chamberlain declares “Peace in our time” December   Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann at KWI in Berlin detect barium as a by-product of their experimentally projecting neutrons at Uranium. They…

  March   Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. April   The initial survey of the site was carried out. April and June   Subsequent to identifying the Valley site the Department of Industrial Planning discussed layouts with I.C.I. 27 April   Compulsory conscription for men aged 20-21 was initiated. 23 August   The Soviet-German non-aggression pact was signed. 24 August   The Emergency Powers Defence Act was passed. Military reservists were called up. 25 August   The U.K.-Polish Treaty of Alliance signed. 27 August   Treasury approval was given for the following sections of the Valley Works: Purchase of Site £6,000 Bulk…

January   Shift work in the Ambulance Room began. 8 January   Food rationing began: the ration was 4 ozs ham, 4 ozs bacon, 4 ozs butter per adult per week. March   Meat was rationed to 1s/10d worth a week for adults (about 1lb in weight): 11d worth for children April   The design work on the assembly unit was agreed along with other outstanding points before design work proceeded May   It was agreed that 10 x 65 ton bulk storage tanks would be sunk in a field opposite the railway in two rows 150’-200’ apart as temporary…

      A small amount of syrup of American origin was supplied from Randle. Early   When the night-time maintenance work was being carried out on the Temporary Effluent Pump 22 men were affected by toxic vapours masked by the smell of chlor liquor. January   The Men’s Mechanical Safety Committee was formed. January   The Toxic Accident Committee formed. 1 January   R4 was started up. 4 January   The first load of Runcol was delivered to the tunnels from Randle and the first load of Runcol from R4 plant was also delivered to the tunnels. January/Feb  …

  January   The GIs began to arrive in Britain. Austerity began in earnest. Soap was rationed to 3 oz per month. Single bananas and onions were used as raffle prizes. The Home Guard was recruited to serve in ack-ack batteries. January   The effluent system was accepted by Process. January   The production of 30 lb Mark I and Mark IM bombs ceased. 13 January   The heaters were switched on in the Woodside tanks for the first time. February   On the recommendation of Special Products Division the Ministry of Supply authorized the provision one 250 ton capacity…

  Early   A Lister petrol driven truck was purchased to make the longer deliveries saving the batteries of the electric trucks. January   The Toxic Safety Officer was appointed. February   The effluent discharge main to the Dee failed near the highest point about two miles from the works. The liquor which was almost certainly slightly toxic ran into a brook and although it did not cause any injuries to local residents, the incident emphasized that there was such a hazard. The toxic conditions also made the repair, which any case would have been very hazardous, more difficult. (V/P/38)…

  4 January   The transfer lines from the tunnels to K4 and K5 were started. January   A new balanced crank-shaft was fitted to effluent disposal pump. January   The filling of the No 18 Smoke Generator Mark I ceased. January   6 lb ground bomb production ceased. January   The average women’s wage in engineering was £3 10s: the average men’s wage in engineering was £7. Only 4 cwt of coal was allowed per month. 22 January   The Anzio Landings took place. February   On two successive Saturday afternoons children’s parties were given to the children of…

  14 January   W.R. Madell succeeded R.Thomas as Works Manager. 4 February   The Yalta Conference began. 14 February   Dresden was bombed. 20 April   The Russians reached Berlin. 29 April   R3 closed down 30 April   Hitler committed suicide. 8 May   VE Day 30 June   The total output from R3 and R4 during the production life of the plant was 15,477 tons. 6 August   The Uranium bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. 9 August   The Plutonium bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. 14 August   VJ Day      

      264,444 members of the Armed Forces were killed and 277,077 injured.

      25,000 divorce petitions were filed (10,000were filed in 1939), 70% on grounds of adultery: 58% were filed by husbands.