Gas exposure and injury to the eye

Heroes Remember

Gas exposure and injury to the eye

Transcript

Gas was the one that did the trick for us, most of us. They’d send over gas shells mixed with a high explosive. The gas shells would just break open when they hit the ground. And then these gases would get out. It wasn’t - it was liquid. It’d have to be liquid. And then when it touched anything that - well, I don’t know, it - I know humans, if it touched humans it did the trick. That’s all it was for, was to gas your enemy. Gas them. Get rid of them. What were they using? We didn’t know what they were. In fact, just plunk you on the end of the line there. The experience is pretty hard to explain. We were very, very fortunate. Those days we were very fortunate until this day that several of those shells came over and broke very close to us. And I had been knocked over a little with a high explosive shell, you know, one that you didn’t think it was gonna explode or, you know, too hard or anything, but it did. And I was crawling along on one side, just to get close to one place I thought was pretty good, you know. Anyway, that’s how I got that spot of gas right in the eye, you see. Sergeant said, “Go lie down somewhere, take care of her.” This eye, it gives me trouble odd times, you see? But the sight is gone. Your blindness was almost painful. It was so painful that it was not funny. And everybody was painful the same way. They get quite a bit of that gas, I guess. That’s the first time that Fritzie had used gas in the Canadian Corps so bad.

Description

Mr. Peterson describes in general the German use of explosive shells to deliver gas attacks, and more specifically being blinded in his right eye by exposure to gas.

Robert Peterson

Robert Peterson was born in Edmonton, Alberta on January 7, 1899. He was the eldest son. His father was a paper mill worker, but enlisted at the outbreak of international hostilities in 1914. Despite being repatriated in 1915 due to being wounded, Mr. Peterson’s father did not try to discourage his son from enlisting. Robert Peterson eventually joined the 202 Sportsmans Battalion in Edmonton and describes basic training as little more than “route marching and sore feet”. Aged ninety-nine at the time of his interview, Mr. Peterson still remembers several aspects of his service overseas. He discusses Canada’s maturation as a military force at Vimy, describes being partially blinded in a gas attack, and finishes with a compelling reflection on patriotism.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 3:49
Person Interviewed:: Robert Peterson
War, Conflict or Mission:: First World War
Location/Theatre:: Europe
Battle/Campaign:: Vimy
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: Canadian Corps
Occupation:: Infantry

Language selection

Gas exposure and injury to the eye

Heroes Remember