GAS!, GAS!, GAS!
A 'husband and wife' set of civilian gas masks; one large, one medium
WW2 Gas Masks
The museum has 3 World War Two gas masks, two civilian and one for military use.
Civilian gas masks were issued to all British citizens during WW2, and many were distributed in Canada also.
The civilian masks consist of a rubberized fabric mask held by 4 straps, with a cellophane vision panel and an air filter containing (among other things) asbestos. This was quite effective, and safe as long as the filter is not damaged. They were designed to protect inactive people indoors.
The military mask is butyl rubber and has 2 eyepieces for better vision, 6 straps for a better fit whilst moving, and a screw on filter to enable changes. The filter is fitted on the left to make it easier to use a rifle.
How real was the threat?
In the first World War, it was the Germans who initiated gas use, despite it being clearly banned under the Hague Conventions of 1899. In the 1930's, the Germans had rapidly built up a stockpile of chemical weapons, and conducted advanced research leading to the first nerve agents. During the Spanish Civil War, the German Condor legion launched a bombing attack on the undefended city of Guernica. They similarly bombed Rotterdam in Holland in 1940, showing they considered civilians legitimate targets. Thus the Allies fully expected Germany to drop chemical bombs on cities during WW2. The effect of nerve gas poisoning is horrific as well as lethal. Thus it was thought necessary to issue protective gas masks to all civilians as well as military personnel.
Despite the high chance, chemical weapons were not in fact ever used in warfare during WW2 by any side, though records show every major power had them, and was prepared to use them in response to a chemical attack by the enemy. There is some speculation that Hitler never ordered an attack as he had been a victim of a British chemical attack during WW1.
The masks in use
The masks are uncomfortable to wear for any period of time, and prone to fogging up because facial sweat is both triggered by, and cannot escape, the rubber (an anti-misting kit was also issued). That said, the consequences of being gassed were dire. One minute's viewing of a film of gas effects is enough to get people following the gas attack drills perfectly. In WW2, many people would have known soldiers who had been gassed in the trenches in WW1. If you have a strong stomach, read Wilfred Owen's poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est', which describes a gas attack. The gases used recently in Iraq and Syria are the same as those developed for WW2.
The museum has 3 World War Two gas masks, two civilian and one for military use.
Civilian gas masks were issued to all British citizens during WW2, and many were distributed in Canada also.
The civilian masks consist of a rubberized fabric mask held by 4 straps, with a cellophane vision panel and an air filter containing (among other things) asbestos. This was quite effective, and safe as long as the filter is not damaged. They were designed to protect inactive people indoors.
The military mask is butyl rubber and has 2 eyepieces for better vision, 6 straps for a better fit whilst moving, and a screw on filter to enable changes. The filter is fitted on the left to make it easier to use a rifle.
How real was the threat?
In the first World War, it was the Germans who initiated gas use, despite it being clearly banned under the Hague Conventions of 1899. In the 1930's, the Germans had rapidly built up a stockpile of chemical weapons, and conducted advanced research leading to the first nerve agents. During the Spanish Civil War, the German Condor legion launched a bombing attack on the undefended city of Guernica. They similarly bombed Rotterdam in Holland in 1940, showing they considered civilians legitimate targets. Thus the Allies fully expected Germany to drop chemical bombs on cities during WW2. The effect of nerve gas poisoning is horrific as well as lethal. Thus it was thought necessary to issue protective gas masks to all civilians as well as military personnel.
Despite the high chance, chemical weapons were not in fact ever used in warfare during WW2 by any side, though records show every major power had them, and was prepared to use them in response to a chemical attack by the enemy. There is some speculation that Hitler never ordered an attack as he had been a victim of a British chemical attack during WW1.
The masks in use
The masks are uncomfortable to wear for any period of time, and prone to fogging up because facial sweat is both triggered by, and cannot escape, the rubber (an anti-misting kit was also issued). That said, the consequences of being gassed were dire. One minute's viewing of a film of gas effects is enough to get people following the gas attack drills perfectly. In WW2, many people would have known soldiers who had been gassed in the trenches in WW1. If you have a strong stomach, read Wilfred Owen's poem 'Dulce et Decorum Est', which describes a gas attack. The gases used recently in Iraq and Syria are the same as those developed for WW2.
