Volume 4 of 12. The foundation of the Munitions Ministry was a revolutionary step, coinciding with the 'shells scandal' in which the failure of a series of British attacks: Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge, Festubert and Loos - was blamed on inadequate supplies of munitions. A press outcry was followed by questions in Parliament which threatened to bring down the Government. The Ministry was set up in response. Previously, the War Office had been responsible for designing, ordering and inspecting ammunition factories and stores. But a year of war on a scale never foreseen, the creation of armies larger than ever contemplated, and the demand for unprecedented quantities of matériel showed the absolute necessity of providing centralised direction of mass war production. The Great War completely upset normal industrial conditions. Preparing this history of the Ministry of Munitions was started during the War itself. It was felt that consulting the officials concerned whilst they were still in post was vital, particularly as many such posts were temporary, and while the questions with which the history would deal were vividly present in their minds. This volume contains information concerning: * Labour Supply July-December 1915 * Labour Regulations and the Munitions of War (Amendment) Act 1916 * The Limitation of Recruiting * The Progress of Dilution

The advent of poison gas in World War I shocked Britons at all levels of society, yet by the end of the conflict their nation was a leader in chemical warfare. Although never used on the home front, poison gas affected almost every segment of British society physically, mentally, or emotionally, proving to be an armament of total war. Through cartoons, military records, novels, treaties, and other sources, Marion Girard examines the varied ways different sectors of British society viewed chemical warfare, from the industrialists who promoted their toxic weapons while maintaining private contro.

Volume V of XII. The foundation of the Munitions Ministry was a revolutionary step, coinciding with the 'shells scandal' in which the failure of a series of British attacks: Neuve Chapelle, Aubers Ridge, Festubert and Loos - was blamed on inadequate supplies of munitions. A press outcry was followed by questions in Parliament which threatened to bring down the Government. The Ministry was set up in response. Previously, the War Office had been responsible for designing, ordering and inspecting ammunition factories and stores. But a year of war on a scale never foreseen, the creation of armies larger than ever contemplated, and the demand for unprecedented quantities of matériel showed the absolute necessity of providing centralised direction of mass war production. The Great War completely upset normal industrial conditions. Preparing this history of the Ministry of Munitions was started during the War itself. It was felt that consulting the officials concerned whilst they were still in post was vital, particularly as many such posts were temporary, and while the questions with which the history would deal were vividly present in their minds. Volume V concerns: * Control of Men's Wages * Control of Women's Wages * Welfare: The Control of Working Conditions * The Provision of Canteens * Provision for the Housing of Munition Workers