Original British WWII Light Respirator and Civilian Duty Respirator Gas Mask Lot With Filters and Carry Bag – 2 Gas Mask Sets Original Items

Original Items: Only One Lot of 2 Available. A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gasses. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas masks are also respirators, though the word gas mask is often used to refer to military equipment (such as a field protective mask), the scope used in this article. The gas mask only protects the user from digesting, inhaling, and contact through the eyes (many agents affect through eye contact). Most combined gas mask filters will last around 8 hours in a biological or chemical situation. Filters against specific chemical agents can last up to 20 hours.

Airborne toxic materials may be gaseous (for example, chlorine or mustard gas), or particulates (such as biological agents). Many filters provide protection from both types.

The first gas masks mostly used circular lenses made of glass, mica or cellulose acetate to allow vision. Glass and mica were quite brittle and needed frequent replacement. The later Triplex lens style (a cellulose acetate lens sandwiched between glass ones) became more popular, and alongside plain cellulose acetate they became the standard into the 1930s. Panoramic lenses were not popular until the 1930s, but there are some examples of those being used even during the war (Austro-Hungarian 15M). Later, stronger polycarbonate came into use.

Some masks have one or two compact air filter containers screwed onto inlets, while others have a large air filtration container connected to the gas mask via a hose that is sometimes confused with an air-supplied respirator in which an alternate supply of fresh air (oxygen tanks) is delivered.

The Gas Masks / Respirators In This Lot:
– L2 “No. 5-Type” Rubber Mask Dated 1944 (Danish M/45E Export): Originally known as the “No. 5-Type Mask”, the L2 mask features a flat-nose and thinner-cut rubber, more-so like the Mk. V Anti-Gas, Respirator (GSR). These masks were made only in normal sizes which is why the L1 mask continued service for a while until the L3 rubber mask began to replace them. The L2 also varies from the L1 in that it features two supporting beams at the top of the mask’s interior. These masks are the most common as the majority of Danish M/45E export masks used these masks.

The L3 mask mostly resembles the L2 in that it features the flat “No. 5-Type” nose but uses much less rubber to create a thinner mask. This type was originally known as the “Thin-Type Mask” but, whilst being much thinner than the L2, it retained its sturdiness by using an improved blend of rubber which would retain its shape better.

These masks also feature some further improvements in that they use both a canvas reinforcement and an extra horizontal support bar around the nose area to keep the mask in better shape despite the increased flexibility. The L3 was also available in small, medium and large, simply marked with the letters S, N and L, rendering the L1 obsolete. This example is marked with an L for LARGE.

This mask was favored so much that the British Armed Forces continued to use it up until Service Respirator No. 6 transition. The L3 mask can be found on Respirators, Anti-Gas, Light Mk. IV and V, however, it is worth noting that a slightly refined variant of the L3 mask, seemingly referred to as the L3-4 or L3/4, was used on Respirators Mk. 6 and 7 after the war. The Light Respirator Mk. IV and V Respirators and their variants were the only ones known to have used these masks during the wartime by 1944. The earliest found example is dated April 1944 yet documents suggest these masks began production as early as April 1943.

The mask is in excellent, unissued condition and comes complete with (2) unused filters and a carry bag with Danish instructions in it.

– Mk III Civilian Duty Respirator With Carry Bag Dated 1939: Officially, the Civilian Duty (CD) was designed for members of civil air raid precautions services and others who might be called upon to carry out their normal duties in the presence of gas, but who are not likely to be continuously exposed to the highest concentrations.

While often believed to be a wartime design, the Civilian Duty began its conception in the hands of Major. John A. Sadd in the late 1920s. Early prototype Civilian Duty respirators can be seen in a patent filed by Sadd on the 30th October 1928.

As the prospect of war became more and more likely, the CD respirator found itself as the front-line respirator for many civilian based defense organizations such as the ARP, police, ambulance crews, industry and dock workers. The CD would fall out of front-line usage by 1942 as it was around this time that police, firemen and others began being equipped with the GS respirator instead.

During the Cold War, Siebe Gorman produced an industrial variant of this mask using modified No. L1 rubber mask molds.

The rubber mask of the CD was of stout design compared to the British General Civilian Respirator, due to the conditions in which it was expected to be deployed. It was molded of much thicker rubber which was the basis for its robustness. The thicker, higher quality rubber allowed the CD to be cleaned by harsher disinfection solutions compared to the GCR – this is noted in many ARP manuals. The facepiece was produced in two sizes: Normal and Small.

Internally, the rubber mask features a singular extension of rubber which appears centrally above the eyepiece assemblies which served as structural support for the mask. Externally, the rubber mask was molded with a portion of rubber that served as a mount for a triangular plate that held the flapper valve. This plate was held in place by 3 bolts.

The prospect of using telecommunications equipment whilst under the threat of gas could not be ignored, thus a cylindrical rubber protrusion was molded with each rubber mask. Should a CD respirator require equipping with a microphone and headset, the protrusion could be cut off to allow access for such equipment. The telephonist variants began around 1938.

The headharness used on the CD respirator was the No. 4 Mk. III. This harness consisted of 3 strips of elasticated webbing, each 19 mm (3/4 inch) wide, 457 mm (18 inches) long. Each strip was threaded through slots in the back of the rubberized head-pad, known as a “tag”, to form six ends that attached to the buckles on the facepiece.

Vision was provided by two eyepiece assemblies consisting of an outer rim, orange rubber gasket, glass eyepiece disc and an inner rim. The inner rim was designed to be unscrewed by means of a special tool (‘Key, securing, eyepiece’). The ability to disassemble was advantageous for 2 reasons, firstly, any damage pieces could be easily replaced, secondly, it made decontamination easier.

Spectacles could be worn with the Civilian Duty, provided the arms of the spectacles were sufficiently thin enough not to interfere with the seal of the mask.

The mask is in wonderful condition and does not appear to have seen much use. The mask is marked as being a size SMALL.

Both masks come in excellent condition ready for display!