Summary: RAF training film dealing with the effects of, protection from and the detection of Nerve Gas
Description: Segeant Slater returns to RAF Biggin Hill after attending a Nerve Gas training course at the Joint School of Chemical Warfare and relates to the barman in the Sergeants' Mess what he was taught on the course illustrated with scenes from the lectures and demonstrations. The Wing Commander's introduction to the course stresses the need to be prepared giving the example of the Second World War "that there was only one real reason why the enemy did not use chemical warfare against us during that war, they thought that we were perfectly prepared for it". Scenes from the first lecture show the Medical Officer dealing with the effect of nerve gas on the body and how to treat casualties, including a "volunteer" suffering mild effects of nerve gas, a film illustrating the symptoms of a mild dose on an eye at different time intervals and a "casualty" suffering the terminal effects of more severe dose of nerve gas. The treatment include use of atropine self-injections and artificial respiration. The second lecture, given by a Sergeant Instructor, deals with protection against nerve gas, covering the correct fitting of the respirator (gas mask), the experience of conditions in a gas filled room (gas chamber), putting on the respirator in various situations and the personal cleansing procedures to be used after contamination by liquid nerve gas. The final part of the Sergeant Instructor's lecture deals with the detection of nerve gas and when to put on your respirator - when there is an unexplained dimming of vision, irritation of the eyes, sudden headache, choking, tightness of the chest and throat, or if there is a hostile bombardment, suspicious smell or liquid or hostile smoke. The instructor then mentions the detector kit vapour (with no example) and shows the use of detective powder and paper to detect liquid nerve gas. The film concludes with Segeant Slater talking in the Sergeants' Mess stressing the point that lives will depend on preparedness against nerve gas.