Gas alert: The term for the customary order in the war, on approaching a danger area, to have anti-gas masks, usually carried slung round the neck, ready for quick adjustment. Danger areas were marked by notice boards bearing the warning "Here Gas Masks must be worn at the Alert." The Americans on the Western Front in 1918 widely circulated a printing slip in their trenches by way of a gas alert warning bearing the words:
"In a Gas-Attack
There are only two Crowds;
The Quick and the Dead.
Be Quick and get that Gas Mask on." [1]
See also Gas, Mustard gas and the detailed Wikipedia article Chemical weapons in World War I.
References / notes
- ↑ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.102.
Glossary of words and phrases
The above term is listed in our glossary of words and phrases of the Armed Forces of Great Britain during the Great War. Included are trench slang, service terms, expressions in everyday use, nicknames, the titles and origins of British and Commonwealth Regiments, and warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary to the war, which is reflected in the language used. They have been transcribed from three primary sources (see Contents). Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.
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