Given this centuries massive migrant refugee crises around the world, it’s not hard to fathom the intense Irish immigrant bigotry of the mid-1800’s. The great Irish Potato Famine lasted nearly a decade and brought massive numbers of Irish refugees to America, Canada and England. Faced with eviction and starvation, hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrated across the Atlantic to the U.S. and Canada. To say these Irish immigrants were not welcomed by Americans is a vast understatement. They were in fact treated like unwanted criminals.
Common “No Irish Need Apply” sign in business window
For a vast number of Americans, their great-grandparents arrived in the U.S. as immigrants in the early 1900’s. There were no airports back then, just a cold, grey ocean to cross. So all the Poles, Russians, Italians, Greeks, Turks, Swedes, and Germans arrived in New York by steamship. Poorer immigrants in third class “steerage” were ferried by barge with their meager belongs to Ellis Island, sitting in the shadow of Lady Liberty. There, with a ship’s manifest number pinned to their clothes, their fate would depend on their answers to 29 Questions.
Ellis Island Immigration Station, New York Harbor, circa 1900
British troops with gas masks in the World War I trenches of France, 1916
The horrors that man is capable of unleashing upon his enemy during warfare reached a pinnacle during World War I, when BOTH slides used Poison Gas against the other. World War I was the first conflict to devolve into stagnant trench warfare. This happened when the equally matched armies dug thousands of miles of trenches along the front lines. In between the trenches lay a “No Man’s Land,” snaked with barbed wire and obliterated by heavy artillery. After numerous high casualty battles that did nothing to move the front, both the Germany and Allies looked for any way to win campaigns.
New poison gas technology appeared to be the answer to their prayers.
Chlorine gas was first deployed by the German military at the Second Battle of Ypreson 22 April 1915. French, British and Canadian troops lined a 10 mile long front against the German army. At 17.00 hours, the day’s shelling ceased, and winds favorably blew toward the enemy in the west. German troops opened pressurized tanks of chlorine gas hidden at the front line trenches.
French sentries first noticed a strange, greenish-yellow cloud moving towards them. Thinking it was a smoke screen to cover a German advance, all troops were ordered to the ladders of their trenches. The gas’s impact was immediate and horrifying. It destroyed a man’s ability to breath in a matter of seconds. causing death by asphyxiation. The surviving French troops fled in terror. Even the Germans were so shocked by the deadly effect of their gas, they never followed through with a full assault.
Germany’s use of poison gas provoked immediate and widespread condemnation around the globe. Nevertheless, the poison gas ‘cat was out of the bag,’ so to speak. Its use escalated for the remainder of the Great War to End all Wars, by Both Sides.
The first Allies to respond was Britain in 25 September 1915. Newly formed Special Gas Divisions attacked German lines at Loos, France around 5 am with their new “Accessory.” They were forbidden, to use the word Poison Gas, else they be as guilty as the ‘Jerries.’ Unfortunately, along parts of the British front lines, the wind changed direction unexpectedly! The chlorine gas was blown back onto the British troops, causing over 2,000 casualties, more than inflicted on the Germans.
A better means of delivery was needed, so both sides began firing poison gas in artillery shells.
After chlorine came phosgene, a gas that induced less coughing, so more would be inhaled by the enemy, increasing the kill rate. But what was the average trench soldier to do? At first, they were instructed to hold a urine soaked kerchief over their face to protect against the effects! Needless to say, this failed miserably. Gas mask production lagged behind gas production. It took several ineffective versions before the troops were finally provided with a reliable full face model. Uncomfortable masks with round goggles and a single filter cartridge were effective if applied fast enough.
German chemists were a step ahead of the Allies and switched to Mustard Gas in 1917.
Made of sulphur dichloride, the oily, brown liquid gave off what survivors described as a garlicy, horseradish or mustard stench. Mustard gas was nearly invisible, and rather than immediately choking the victim, it caused large, severe and painful blisters, both in the mouth, lungs, and on the skin. Temporary blindness and pulmonary edema were induced. Mustard gas also remained potent in clothing and the soil for weeks, making infected trenches impossible to live in.
To the thousands of souls fighting in Flanders, it was hard to imagine how the hell of trench warfare could get any worse. On 12 July 1917, German gunners fired more than 50,000 artillery shells of mustard gas into the British and Canadian lines. Hospital tents up and down the front were soon bursting with more than 2,000 victims, suffering from excruciating blisters across their bodies. Most were blinded, others slowly suffocating, leaving the rest disfigured and writhing in agony.
Despite the outrage, the Allies immediately engineered their own stockpiles of mustard gas.
By autumn, mustard gas was in use up and down the Western Front from Belgium to Switzerland, once again by both sides. By year’s end, the British were dropping mustard gas shells onto German trenches as well. When the U.S. entered the war in 1917, America’s Dow Chemical manufactured the poison for the troops.
British soldier with gas mask for poison gas in World War I, 1917
Mustard gas so terrified soldiers because unlike phosgene, victims were initially unaware they were being gassed. Gas masks only protected the lungs; everything else burned and blistered, even skin beneath clothing. Since it was heavier than air, clouds would settle into bomb craters and trenches, remaining there for hours if there was no breeze.
The Germany military continued to develop a deadly array of delivery methods including artillery shells, mortar rounds, free falling bombs from bi-wing airplanes and even in land mines. The British army alone suffered 20,000 mustard gas casualties in just the last year of the war.
The use of Mustard Gas would continue right up until the Paris Armistice at 11 pm on 11 November 1918.
Although the use of poison gas was banned by the 1925 Geneva Convention, armies around the world continued to use it up through the 1930s. For example, the Japanese Empire gassed both Chinese armies and civilians in its invasion of Manchuria. During World War II, the Allies stockpiled millions of tons of mustard gas behind frontlines just in case the Nazis and Japanese decided to use it.
In modern times, mustard gas was used most recently in the 1980s Iran-Iraq War. Saddam Hussein ordered its use against the Iranian army, and even against Iraq’s own Kurdish population, where more than 5,000 civilians died.
Today, advanced post Cold War militaries have much more modern Nerve Agent Gases, like VX, Novichok and Sarin. They remain largely unused and stockpiled by both sides, kept as a deterrent only of course. Or until our enemies, extremists or terrorists, decide to use them against us first. Then, the deadly cycle of escalation seen during World War I might just begin again in modern times.
The Count of Saint Germain was an ageless adventurer of the 18th century. Alchemist, spy, composer, diplomat, and general enigma, the mysterious Count was an actual historic figure, with adventures across 18th century Europe and the Far East. Throughout all this time, he never appeared to age. He is the main character of “The Man Who Would Not Die,” a historical novel of his career.
The Count is but one of the many instances of this familiar French-sounding name. Here are some of the others you may or may not recognize:
Saint Germain-des-Prés
Paris street sign for Boulevard Saint Germain
My absolute favorite place in Paris. A popular and historic Left Bank Faubourg, known for its cafes, shops, and wide, tree-lined Boulevard Saint Germain. It sits across the River Siene from the Louvre Museum and surrounds the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the oldest church in Paris, named for … well, I am getting ahead of myself. Read on.
Saint Germain-en-Laye
An affluent French commune located in the northwest suburbs of Paris, on the banks of a hairpin loop in the River Seine. Prior to the French Revolution, its fabulous Chateau Neuf, was the residence of numerous French kings, including Henry II and a young and future Sun King, Louis XIV. Today, it houses the Museum of Archeology. The area surrounding the town contains the National Forest Saint German-en-Laye.
Paris Saint-Germain
Logo for Paris Saint Germain football (soccer) club
Known simply as PSG to its many fans, a HUGELY popular professional football (soccer) club based in Paris. Also known as the Red and the Blue, they compete in the top League 1 and have won 9 League titles. They are the most successful football club in all of France, and the second most popular after its arch-rivals Olympique de Marseille. They play at the Parc des Princes.
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
American novelist who has penned a long series of historical romance novels with none other than Count Saint-Germain as her tortured protagonist. She portrays the Count as an immortal vampire, who has lived since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, with numerous beautiful and tragic lovers throughout the centuries. Each book in her extensive series (27 and counting) is based on the Count in a different time period.
St. Germain, the liqueur
A bottle of St. Germain liquor
A delicious and expensive French liqueur in a classy and distinctive art deco bottle. Started in 2007, it is delicately flavored with European elder flowers picked each Spring, and currently owned by none other than Bacardi. Sip it as a liquor; or a shot goes quite well in a glass of dry white wine, French champagne or any number of mixed drinks, including the highly recommended French Martini or Green Margarita. Sante! Cheers!
Saint-Germain’s Tea
Both a hot beverage and a remedy all in one. Created by Count Saint Germain himself for the Russian Navy during its long wars with the Ottoman/Turkish Empire in the late 18th century. A blended tea of equal parts crushed senna pods, elder flowers, and ground fennel seeds [Recipe]. Careful, physicians used it as an 18th century purge! Similar blends are still sold today as an herbal remedy for mild irregularity.
Potage Saint-Germain
Potage Saint Germain
A delicious, creamy French soup of pureed peas, spinach and leeks [Recipe]. Originally served to French King Louis XIV and available today in many Left Bank French restaurants. Garnish each bowl with freshly grated parmesan cheese or a dollop of sour cream. Best served with a hot loaf of crusty French bread and a glass of dry Sherry in a Parisian sidewalk cafe. Bon Appetit mon amie!
Treaty of Saint Germain
One of several treaties which ended World War I, the so called ‘War to End All Wars.’ It was signed by British, French, American Allies and Austria on 10 September 1919 in the aforementioned Chateau Neuf in St. Germain-en-Laye. The treaty declared that the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved, and war reparations were to be paid to the Allies. The more famous World War I Treaty of Versailles was signed between the three Allies and Germany just a few months earlier.
Saint Germain Foundation®
Logo of the I AM Activity
A religious organization based on the principles of Theosophy, founded by Madame Helena Blavatsky. It bases its doctrines on the teaching of Guy Ballard in the 1930’s. The organization’s philosophy is known as the “I Am” Activity® and has spawned numerous spiritual splinter groups over time including the Summit Lighthouse the Church Universal and Triumphant. They consider Count Saint Germain to be one of their Ascended Masters, living on in an astral plane.
St. Germain, the US town
A charming town in the heart of America’s Wisconsin Northwoods, settled by French fur traders in the 1600s and surrounded by over 1300 small lakes and streams. For the outdoor lover, St. Germain boasts year round activities including fishing, hunting, boating, and kayaking. During their famously cold and robust winters throw in snowmobiling, and of course cross-country skiing.
St. Germanus
Saint Germanus statue
And last but not least, the original Catholic Saint, known as the ‘Father of the Poor.’ As a priest, he was first the abbot of an abbey, later ordained Bishop of Paris in the year 555 by French King Childebert. He was canonized after his death in 754. St. Germain was well known for his overly generous alms-giving to the French poor. For centuries his relics were carried through the streets in times of plaque and war. He is buried in the crypt of the Left Bank abbey church in Paris that bears his now familiar name. His Catholic Feast Day is May 28th.
So there you have it, ten familiar instances of ‘Saint Germain’ scattered around the world. But let us not forget the mysterious Count Saint Germain, where our journey first began.
