On Tuesday, August 21 from 7 to 8 p.m, Marion Girard Dorsey will offer insight into poison gas attacks in World War I and their impact beyond the battlefield. Part of the Wright Museum’s Lecture Series, sponsored by Ron Goodgame and Donna Canney, the lecture is entitled, “Once Adrift: World War I Poison Gas and Its Legacy.”
During World War I, the widespread use of weaponized poison gas inflicted devastating physical damage on soldiers. Death from poison gas was often prolonged and horrifying.
“The long-term psychological effects of poison gas attacks remained in the minds of those who lived through or witnessed these types of attacks for the rest of their lives,” noted Mike Culver, Wright Museum executive director. “They shaped individual lives and national attitudes long after the war itself. This legacy reaches into our own time.”
In the lecture, Dorsey, associate professor of history and core faculty member in Justice Studies at The University of New Hampshire, will discuss this legacy and more. From the soldiers who served at the fronts and the politicians who negotiated the Armistice to the long-term implications of the use of chemical weapons, poison gas attacks in Word War I had far-reaching ramifications.
The Wright Museum’s Lecture Series takes place every Tuesday through the end of the museum’s season, which concludes Oct. 31.
Admission is $3 for members and $8 for non-members. Seating is limited, and reservations can be made by calling 603-569-1212.
Wright Museum is open daily through Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
