Tales From The Treasure House – First Aid In The Air Raid

The idea of health and safety and first aid is something that we take completely for granted nowadays. It is part and parcel of our everyday lives; there to protect us from harm or give us instant, on-the-spot treatment should the worst happen.

This year marks the 140th anniversary of the foundation of the St John Ambulance Association, way back in 1877.

Reminded by this landmark anniversary, staff at the East Riding Archives have been looking at what historical records from the East Yorkshire region can offer us by way of an insight into the work of the St John Ambulance in our area.

Archivist Sam Bartle said:

“At first, the association of light-hearted poetry with such atrocious chemical weapons seems rather odd, but on closer inspection you can see that the nurses used these poems to help them remember the different types of gas, their symptoms and how to treat them.”

“Given that they would’ve needed to recall this information under emergency situations and extreme pressure, the rhymes must have been a simple and effective method of quickly recalling information that was needed to treat their patients.”

One of the collections in the Archives is that of Muriel Johnson, who was in the Nursing Division of the Beverley St John Ambulance Brigade during the Second World War. Muriel collected photographs, certificates, a register of first aid post duties, hospital attendances at Beverley Base, and lists of members, as well as booklets and handbooks that were standard issue at the time.

One of the more unusual items in her collection, however, is a sheet of poems about the different poisonous gases that may be used in enemy air raids, which were a constant threat to civilian life.

Two of the poems read as follows:

On ‘Choking Gases’
“Phosgene and Chlorine are alas
Chlorpicric too, a deadly gas.
Affects the lungs, affects the breath,
And very soon may lead to death.
The only hope is perfect rest;
Remember this and do your best.
Pop on the mask, and quickly fetch her
Without the least delay a stretcher.
DON’T let her move; give her beef tea,
Keep her as warm as she can be
DON’T give her alcoholic drinks;
Persuade her to have forty winks;
And DON’T in spite of great temptation,
Try Artificial Respiration.”

On ‘Nose Gases’
“D.A, D.M – Also D.C
You cannot smell, you cannot see;
This makes it harder still to tell.
There’s arsenic in them all as well.
It makes one snuff, and sneeze and blow,
It makes one sad and very low.
Non-permanent, so won’t endure;
Pop on a mask and re-assure.
Make several jokes and remove quick;
Don’t be surprised if they are sick.”