Poison Gas in World War II: British Gas Masks--Distributiomn

British gas mask school play

Figure 1.--At the time of the Munich Crisis there were not enough gas masks for everyone even though the genral consensus was that Hitler would use the Luftwaffe to drop chemical weapons on civilians. By the time Hitler and Stalin invaded Poland there were enough and within a week or two, everyone had them. They were distrubuted through families. Here the children at the Broomgrove Children's hotel and nursing home in Wavertree, Liverpool wear their gas masks (probanly about November 1939). The children were taught at home how to wear them and drilled at school. Many younger children were frigtened of the masks. Here you can see how well drilled the children were in short order. The children becmee accustomed to even playing in their gas masks. Notice the two different types. The ones the younger children are weating with google eyes became called Mickey Mouse masks.

Every British citzen, including children were issued gas masks. We do not yet have precise details on when and how the gas masks were distributed. Apparently some were distributed at the time of the Munich Crisis (September 1938). At the time there were not enough masks in stock for everyone, By the time of the outbreak of the War (September 1939), there were sufficentbmasks for everyone. We believe this was when most of the masks were issued, after the declaration of War (September 3). We do not yet have precise details on when and how the gas masks were distributed. We think that there were neighborhood distribution centrs. It was done through the family. School children went with their parents to pick up their masks and have them fitted. They then had to carry them to school. A reader tells us, "The issue was very soon after September 3, 1939. We didn't have them when war broke out, but it couldn't have been long after that we got them." Of course it would have take a few weeks to distribute them to millions of people. The masks were issued on a family basis. Another British reader writes, "I remember being issued with my gas mask as a 9-year old boy. We went as a family to a large hall, I think it was at the local seconday school. We went to long tressle tables where family by family we were fitted with the appropriate style. My sister had a Mickey Mouse one with the goggle eyes. The rest of us had the clear visor style. My brother and I soon found out we could make 'Whoopie cushion' noises by exhaling quickly with the rubber vibating as the air escaped past our cheeks. A little time after issue, we had to go back for an additional filter to be taped below the existing one. I am not sure of the reason. I seemed to remember being told it was to protect us from a new form of gas. When my brother and I were evacuated, we had to hand our gas masks in, I think as we boarded the ship. After the war they were supposed to be handed in for recycling - we called it 'scrap' in those days. Some people kept them as souvenirs." Interested readers can read about Alan and Grahm and their exploits. Sone sources say that there was a door on door distribution. Another source says that the distribution went on into 1940, although by that time, many believed that the Germans ere not going to use gas and a lot of people stoppd carrying them. The first mask was free. If you lost your mask, you had to pay for a replacement.







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Created: 7:00 AM 12/5/2014
Last updated: 7:01 AM 12/5/2014