The Ministry of Home Security issued instructions on what to do in the event of a gas attack. There were events like 'Gas Mask Week' when talks on anti-gas measures were given in local town halls, and people could get their masks tested. For example: ' Hitler will send no warning - so always carry your gas mask' 'It is your duty to yourself, your family and your country to be prepared.' Don't be caught without your gas mask when the wardens sound their rattles' 'Don't be a gas casualty.' Short films and radio adverts also kept people informed. Posters about the dangers of gas attacks were everywhere by the outbreak of war. People were told to keep their gas masks with them day and night. The Government waged a publicity campaign. Schools and workplaces also ran training courses from time to time in how to use the masks. Officials made sure that the masks fitted properly and showed people how to put them on. People collected their gas masks from their local town halls or other distribution points organised by the borough councils. The British government took precautions against poison gas attacks and by 1938 they had issued 'civilian type respirators' to every man, woman and child in the nation. Harmful gases can make the skin blister, cause blindness and breathing problems, and can even kill. During World War I both the Germans and Allies had used poison gas in the trenches. In the build-up to World War II the British government feared that the Germans would attack Britain with poison gas. It is very important that all asbestos is professionally removed from old gas masks. It is now known that there is a link between asbestos and lung disease. Luckily, they were never put to the test in a real situation.Īs well as the infant gas mask, there was a gas-proof pram that could be used to protect babies from poisonous gas attacks.Īs asbestos ages it breaks down. During demonstrations there were reports that babies fell asleep and became unnaturally still inside the masks! It is likely that the pump didn't push enough air into the mask and the babies came close to suffocating. In fact there was some question over its safety.

Despite instruction courses, few parents were totally happy with encasing their child in an airtight chamber. Health Visitors and Child Welfare Centres gave lessons on how to use the mask.

With the baby inside the mask, an adult could start to use the hand pump. This was pushed back and forth to pump air into the mask. Attached to this is a rubber tube shaped like a concertina with a handle. There is an asbestos filter on the side of the mask, and this absorbed poisonous gases. The canvas had a rubber coating to stop gas seeping through the material, and the straps were tied securely so that the mask was airtight. Then they wrapped the canvas part around the baby's body with the straps fastened under its bottom like a nappy, and its legs dangling free below. The parents placed their baby inside the mask so that the head was inside the steel helmet and the baby could see through the visor. This gas mask was for children up to two years old. In 1938, the British Government gave everyone, including babies, gas masks to protect them in case the Germans dropped poison gas bombs on Britain.

This looks like a deep-sea diving helmet but is in fact a gas mask for babies, dating from World War II.

World war 2 gas mask for sale