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 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Born in Camberwell, 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, and assisted in the compilation of the ''

British Pharmaceutical Codex The British Pharmaceutical Codex (BPC) was first published in 1907, to supplement the ''British Pharmacopoeia'' which although extensive, did not cover all the medicinal items that a pharmacist might require in daily work. Other books existed, ...

''. 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. However, after the first use of gas weapons by the German Army in 1915, the

British War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from th ...

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 and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, Fran ...

. 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 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, 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 (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, 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 Ernest George Gillick (19 November 1874 – 25 September 1951) was a British sculptor. Life Gillick was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, on 19 November 1874, the son of a tailor. The family moved to Nottingham, where Gillick was apprenticed as a d ...

, was unveiled on 16 November 1922; it was later relocated in 1967 when the Society moved to the East Wing of Burlington House. The

Edward Harrison Memorial Prize The Edward Harrison Memorial Prize was awarded from 1926 to 1979 by the Chemical Society and from 1980 to 2007 by its successor the Royal Society of Chemistry to a British chemist who was under 32 years of age, and working the fields of theoretic ...

awarded by the

and latterly the

Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prizes The Harrison-Meldola Memorial Prizes are annual prizes awarded by Royal Society of Chemistry to chemists in Britain who are 34 years of age or below. The prize is given to scientist who demonstrate the most meritorious and promising original inves ...

awarded by the

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

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 Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Royal Engineers officers United Kingdom chemical weapons program