63. A description of Robert’s position which had previously been supplied to
HMG by Robert’s brother Major Herbert Sorel in 1914, probably at the
time of Robert’s internment, (FO 383-312), and it was assumed that this was
the position he was returning to. Herbert Sorel’s description of Robert as an
‘analytical’ chemist may have been more benign in time of war than ‘research’
chemist which Robert undoubtedly was. Equally, it could have been made
from a position of ignorance.
64. In 1916 Lord Newton became Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, and was put in charge of two departments at the Foreign Office, one
dealing with foreign propaganda and the other with prisoners of war. In
October 1916 he was appointed Controller of the newly-established Prisoner
of War Department, and in this position, he negotiated the release of
thousands of British prisoners of war. From a Wikipedia entry.
65. Walter Hines Page was the American Ambassador in London at the time.
66. Secretary Balfour was no other than Arthur Balfour, the former Prime
Minister, subsequently First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915 and then Foreign
Secretary from 1916–1919. Robert’s case had reached the highest echelons of
HMG.
67. This delay may well have extended to being able to inform his family, for
even in 1917, two years after Robert’s release, S. J. Le Rossignol’s, Historical
Notes (Local and General) with special reference to the Le Rossignol Family (and
its connections in Jersey), Trowbridge, (1917), p. 135, records that Robert ‘…
as a consequence of the European War now in progress, is interned in Germany
…’.
68. Chapter 7.
69. By 1916 Germany’s synthetic ammonia production was making an
increasingly significant contribution to her ability to continue the war.
Indeed, without the technology the war would probably been over by the
time Robert wrote to HMG.
70. But should we be ‘searching for sin’ here? In all honesty, Robert would have
become wealthy on the back of nitrogen fixation, war or no-war. If peace had
prevailed German hi-pressure fixation would have had an immense advantage
over ‘traditional‘ technology and huge amounts of money would have
accrued to Haber–Le Rossignol from the BASF’s patent royalties from within
Germany and the licensing of their process abroad.
71. Szöllözi-Janze, op. cit. (note 47), p. 481.
72. Robert returned to the UK before any payment for 1918 could be made, and
payments for the period from September 1913 to December 1913 are not so
firmly established. Vaclav Smil, Enriching the Earth, MIT Press, (2001),
quotes a total output for 1913/14 of 6.8 kt fixed N probably at a royalty rate
of 1 Pfennig kg
−1 ammonia according to Szöllössi-Janze, op. cit. (note 47),
314
D. Sheppard
HMG by Robert’s brother Major Herbert Sorel in 1914, probably at the
time of Robert’s internment, (FO 383-312), and it was assumed that this was
the position he was returning to. Herbert Sorel’s description of Robert as an
‘analytical’ chemist may have been more benign in time of war than ‘research’
chemist which Robert undoubtedly was. Equally, it could have been made
from a position of ignorance.
64. In 1916 Lord Newton became Assistant Under-Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs, and was put in charge of two departments at the Foreign Office, one
dealing with foreign propaganda and the other with prisoners of war. In
October 1916 he was appointed Controller of the newly-established Prisoner
of War Department, and in this position, he negotiated the release of
thousands of British prisoners of war. From a Wikipedia entry.
65. Walter Hines Page was the American Ambassador in London at the time.
66. Secretary Balfour was no other than Arthur Balfour, the former Prime
Minister, subsequently First Lord of the Admiralty in 1915 and then Foreign
Secretary from 1916–1919. Robert’s case had reached the highest echelons of
HMG.
67. This delay may well have extended to being able to inform his family, for
even in 1917, two years after Robert’s release, S. J. Le Rossignol’s, Historical
Notes (Local and General) with special reference to the Le Rossignol Family (and
its connections in Jersey), Trowbridge, (1917), p. 135, records that Robert ‘…
as a consequence of the European War now in progress, is interned in Germany
…’.
68. Chapter 7.
69. By 1916 Germany’s synthetic ammonia production was making an
increasingly significant contribution to her ability to continue the war.
Indeed, without the technology the war would probably been over by the
time Robert wrote to HMG.
70. But should we be ‘searching for sin’ here? In all honesty, Robert would have
become wealthy on the back of nitrogen fixation, war or no-war. If peace had
prevailed German hi-pressure fixation would have had an immense advantage
over ‘traditional‘ technology and huge amounts of money would have
accrued to Haber–Le Rossignol from the BASF’s patent royalties from within
Germany and the licensing of their process abroad.
71. Szöllözi-Janze, op. cit. (note 47), p. 481.
72. Robert returned to the UK before any payment for 1918 could be made, and
payments for the period from September 1913 to December 1913 are not so
firmly established. Vaclav Smil, Enriching the Earth, MIT Press, (2001),
quotes a total output for 1913/14 of 6.8 kt fixed N probably at a royalty rate
of 1 Pfennig kg
−1 ammonia according to Szöllössi-Janze, op. cit. (note 47),
314
D. Sheppard