War nuts
Question: An entry in the local school logbook for the village of Nash in
north Buckinghamshire, dated 9 November 1917, states “Letter of thanks received
from the Director of Propellant Supplies for chestnuts gathered for the making
of munitions”.
We have had visions of chestnut shrapnel, but this can’t be right, can it? So
what were chestnuts used for and what is their link with propellants?
Answer: This question was asked in the February 1987 issue of Chemistry
in Britain, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s monthly magazine. Subsequent
correspondents gave the answer that the chestnuts were used in…
