How about this for a Gas Mask ?? ....... how awful and primitive it seems !! The first gas masks issued to US Soldiers in WWI were the French “Duck Bill” masks. They were essentially nothing more than a canvas mask containing a rag soaked in urine. Although crude and smelly, the urine filter did in fact work. http://www.frankscollection.com/military/wwi/gasmask.html Annie
O my............. I would hate to wear that thing. As I said about the Australian Gas Mask you would look like a alien.
As I said on the other post...These were BRITISH respirators issued to the Yanks... I think I mentioned the Hypo Hood as well...(the one you had to pee on??) :_( The first British mask was a pair of goggles and what was in effect, a shell dressing...:O The pic is of a British SBR (small box respirator)...But as issued to the Septics...
BTW the blurb on the site mentioned says it is a modified British one...Nope...That's British that is!!...)
I have added a few smilies as I felt it didn't read as I had intended... Still scans badly in my eyes... I felt I sounded like an argumentative smug g1t....: Which I am (I hope) not... I was trying to apologise for sounding a twonk Oops I can only apply x4 smilies.... i would like to apply more but can't
Ohh thats okay. offtopic: I tried to put a smile in the message but it told me that I have #5 smileys how did that happen if I only put one??
The image on the link in this thread is of a US manufactured and designed respirator - the Corrected English Model (CEM). Though heavily based on the British SBR, it's yankee doodle through and through! Major differences are the elbow valve, the eye-pieces, the head harness, the filter box and the nose-clip. CEMs all had flutter valve protectors whereas these were phased out in British SBR's in mid 1917, but were possibly the type sent to the US for their trials. The US Army was initially issued with British SBRs (and French M2s), but ,by mid 1918, their own CEM was pretty universal. here're some of mine...(left hand pic - British. Note the unpopular flutter valve protector on the early model on the right and their straight elbows. US CEM SBRs (2 versions) on the right pic)
Not quite that basic, Annie. The urine soaked rag type masks had gone generally by early 1916. The one I think you are referring to is the French M2 (1916-1918) which , though stuffy, was actually one of the best masks of it's era. This was issued to US troops and continued in use by them upto the end of the war - either by rear echelon troops or as a reserve for frontline soldiers. Basically, it was a mask made of many layers of muslin that had been soaked in a variety of chemicals which was protected by a layer of waterproofed fabric on the outside. Dave.
