Lt-Col Edward Frank Harrison C.M.G. (1869–1918) was an English chemical scientist, credited with the invention of the first serviceable

gas mask A gas mask is a piece of personal protective equipment used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Born in

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

, Harrison, at the age of 14, was apprenticed to a pharmacist, at the end of which he was awarded the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Jacob Bell Scholarship. As a student, he was awarded medals in chemistry, botany and materia medica. He qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist in 1891, becoming a demonstrator in the Society's laboratory and school. He later became head of the analytical laboratory at

Burroughs Wellcome GSK plc (an acronym from its former name GlaxoSmithKline plc) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with headquarters in London. It was established in 2000 by a Mergers an ...

, and assisted in the compilation of the '' British Pharmaceutical Codex''. At the outbreak of World War I, Harrison tried to enlist in the British army, but was rejected on account of his age (47 at the time), but was accepted as a corporal into a " sportsman's battalion" in 1915. After the first use of gas weapons by the German Army in 1915, the British War Office enlisted chemists, including Harrison, to find a way of defending against such weapons. The Chemical Society Memorial at the Royal Society of Chemistry

The Chemical Society Memorial at the Royal Society of Chemistry

Harrison produced the large box respirator, the first serviceable British gas mask, which he and his team perfected by using themselves as test subjects and exposing themselves to poisonous gases in sealed rooms. Harrison continued to work tirelessly for the remainder of the war and his continued improvements saw him repeatedly promoted, reaching the rank of Lt Col in the Royal Engineers. Harrison died of pneumonia at 49, one week before

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark Armistice of 11 November 1918, the armistice signed between th ...

. In a letter to his widow, the

Minister of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, wrote "It is in large measure to him that our troops have been given effectual protection from the German poisonous gases", and that he would have been promoted to Brigadier-General in charge of all chemical warfare.Gas mask inventor Harrison honoured in death by Churchill
RSC press release, 10 June 2008 Harrison had been awarded the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, was made a member of Italy's Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus, and was buried with full military honours. After his death the

Chemical Society The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation. ...

was approached to host a memorial to Harrison, which was expanded by the Society to commemorate all the Society's Fellows who had died in service of the country. The completed memorial, sculpted by Ernest Gillick, was unveiled on 16 November 1922; it was later relocated in 1967 when the Society moved to the East Wing of

Burlington House Burlington House is a building on Piccadilly in Mayfair, London. It was originally a private English Baroque and then Neo-Palladian mansion owned by the Earl of Burlington, Earls of Burlington. It was significantly expanded in the mid-19th cent ...

. The Edward Harrison Memorial Prize awarded by the

and latterly the Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prizes awarded by the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the ...

are named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Edward 1869 births 1918 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in England British chemists Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George British recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Royal Engineers officers United Kingdom chemical weapons program