The Chemical Dimension of the Gallipoli Campaign: Introducing Chemical Warfare to the Middle East

Abstract

Studies of the history of chemical warfare ignore the chemical dimension of the campaigns in the Middle East during the First World War. They miss the fact that the British first considered using gas in the region during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. At that time, the political and military leadership in London, as well as senior commanders of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF), were alarmed by the possibility of Turkish chemical attacks and repeatedly debated whether they should pre-empt this move by initiating the use of gas. This raised ethical, moral and prestige considerations, related to the British reputation in the Middle East. Eventually, gas cylinders were shipped to the MEF but never used. The British waited another year and a half before attacking the Turks with chemical munitions in Palestine.