Drug use by RFC pilots?

spad · 27 August 2006, 05:45 AM

I am reading a book about the Pemberton Billinf affair and the matter of drug abuse by British servicemen in WW1 is discussed. Does anyone know anything more about this? According to this work some pilots were using morphine on a regular basis (it being readily available). It is also suggested that Canadian servicemen had greater access to cocaine, and were able to supply others. I had heard of cocaine use in celebrity circles but until now had never had it linked to the army.

I know that the actress/singer Bille Carleton died of a drug overdose, and that she was linked to Grider of 85 Squadron.

27 August 2006, 07:41 AM

Edward Mannock once took cocaine for medicinal purposes, whether he did it more than once who knows?

As we know, many pilots were drinkers, but I guess there is a difference between that and contraband Red Cross morphine or cocaine.

Makhpiyaluta · 27 August 2006, 08:27 AM

Drug use in war is not uncommon, the Asassin tribe in Arabia was known to use allot of hassish before going to battle. Nowadays US soldiers and pilots are put on speed. So why would it be different in WW I? And if using cocaine these pilots could even drink more because they wouldn't get drunk so fast as without it. Also cocaine use was very common in those days, it was even in Coca Cola (releaves fattique) Coca for cocaine and Cola for the colanut and in Vine Mariani. Later on ( I think it was in the thirthies) it was put on the opiumlist and forbidden.

Willem

Simba · 27 August 2006, 04:27 PM

Don't know about WW1 crack-heads but I was told about issues of benzedrine to Bomber Command aircrew by a veteran air-gunner who said he'd taken enough to keep him awake for two days straight and upset everybody else in his crew by "firing at shadows that just weren't there" from his Lanc's tail-turret. He "never used it again."

The great Smith-Barry reportedly wrote to his son from India during WW2 to tell him he'd tried the local cannabis: "gave me a bloody awful headache, stick to Scotch, m'boy."

Mannock advised his subordinates to "keep fit by exercise and moderate use of stimulants". Which stimulants were never specified.

My preference's a large single-malt - cheers!

spad · 29 August 2006, 12:00 PM

The use of drugs was pretty widespread in the first world war, and increased after 1917 when the US entered the war. I wonder to what extent it altered the behaviour of servicemen. Were Mannocks major mood swings in 1918 the result of combat stress or a combination of several other things? Perhaps its true that combat will always require the combatant seeks escape.

gipsymoth236k · 29 August 2006, 01:13 PM

A weird article comes to mind from either an old C&C, or WWI Aero that mentioned a story of an English doctor who somehow held the viscera (organs) of MVR in a bottle, and that it had tested positive for such 'stimulant' drugs.

Anyone know of this article?

Regards, Gary

Craig · 30 August 2006, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simba

The great Smith-Barry reportedly wrote to his son from India during WW2 to tell him he'd tried the local cannabis: "gave me a bloody awful headache, stick to Scotch, m'boy."

Cannabis? CAUSES headaches? And Scotch DOESN'T??

What a world.

duckman · 30 August 2006, 07:46 PM

You need to shift from a 21st Century perspective. Cocaine in 1914 was seen pretty much as we see Ginseng, Guarana or any of the other "natural" stimulants we add to food, drinks and ... what's "patent medicine" called now..."alternative"?

The Pure Food and Drug Act (in the US) was passed in 1906. Between then and 1914, several related acts were passed restricting access to coca derivitives and mandating massive taxes on trading in coca products. Not sure of the Canadian / British / French take on it all.

But it takes a while to catch up on these things, and I'm sure plenty of products remained semi-legally in circulation until Prohibition and beyond. This website has some of the more bizarre examples (including Papal endorsement!): http://www.cocabonsai.nl/Default.aspx?tabid=116

John Hayes, the winner of the 1904 Olympic marathon dosed himself over the last 10 miles with a concotion of brandy and strychnine (like coke, a stimulant). Worked a treat, won the race, no restrictions at the time. I couldn't find a pic on the web, but lots of Olympic books (eg Wallechinsky) have a photo of him being driven away for the event - but for the fact that he is sitting up in the car, you'd swear he was a freshly embalmed corpse.

5 September 2006, 11:48 AM

O tempora, o mores...

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