The categories of pure and applied science which today have become obsolete once seemed remarkably real. Historians such as Graeme Gooday and Sabine Clark have explored the significance of the categories to scientists and administrators during World War 1. This paper will examine the distinction within the British public sphere as it emerged in reaction to the horror of war. In particular gas warfare was associated with the application of chemistry. The paper will explore the meaning of discourse in the public sphere and the emergence of a debate about the meaning of the distinction. Many from industry dismissed it, including Lord Moulton of ICI, and Arthur Fleming who established the Vickers research laboratory. On the other hand, lay writers of books during the interwar years such as JRR Tolkien or the Mirror leader writer Richard Jennings were horrified by the experience of the war but willing to celebrate pure science and condemn its applications. Fleming’s training in the US and the work of David Rhees on the campaign to popularise chemistry in post-WW1 America highlights the possibility of drawing international parallels. The paper will also reflect on how and whether the experience of the US, Germany and France were comparable.