In this colorized image from 1938, a mother is walking her baby in a gas-resistant baby buggy (or pram). The pram was designed by FW Mills and was an alternative to the baby gas mask. The lid had a glass panel; there was a gas filter on the top. On the back of the pram, a bulb from a car horn sucked in fresh air and expelled the stale. Thus, the buggy was properly ventilated. The woman herself is also wearing a gas mask.
Source: (Reddit/colorized).
In World War I, chlorine and mustard gas were used as a form of chemical warfare, resulting in 88,000 dead and 1,200,000 injured. This was only 20 years before the start of World War II, and so it was part of the collective memory. This, coupled with the bombing of Guernica, helped to induce terror in Great Britain.
The Fear Was Real
On April 26, 1937, the Nazi German Luftwaffe’s Condor Legion and the Fascist Italian Aviazione Legionaria bombed Guernica in Spain, and although the number of people who died is disputed and the number of casualties were not high, it did create fear in Britain of what could happen if Nazi bombers got through. The widespread fear in Britain was that the Nazis would drop poison gas bombs and the government started to plan for tens of thousands of deaths in London. Liddell Hart, one of the government advisors, told them to plan for 250,000 deaths in the first week of the war. Thus, every British civilian was issued a gas mask, or “general civilian respirator.” In total, they issued more than 35 million of them.
Specially Designed Masks For Children And Babies
Source: (War History Online).
Some had not received their gas masks by the start of the war, and instead, were told that in some districts the masks might be in storage until an emergency. They were also instructed to let their local Air Raid Warden know if they did not have a gas mask, but their neighbors did, as the warden had the responsibility of ensuring that all citizens had one. Even children were issued gas masks. In an attempt to make the situation less scary, the government nicknamed them “Mickey Mouse” gas masks. Babies, too, had masks designed and made for them, but they would only be issued in an emergency situation. The baby gas masks were more of a full-body suit, with a helmet with a clear visor, and a canvas suit, which left the legs free.
Trying To Convince The Public
Source: (nationalarchives.org.uk/Pinterest)
The government needed to get the populace used to wearing the masks in all aspects of their lives, so they created programs to do so. They encouraged people to wear their masks 15 minutes per day so that they could get used to them. British Pathé released a newsreel, “Do You Carry Your Gas Mask?” to encourage people to carry and wear them. In the reel, the unidentified speaker from the Ministry of Home Security encourages people to carry it, saying, “You all have a gas mask, and you out to carry it in order to practice wearing it.” The Ministry also provided advice on putting on the gas mask. Citizens were told that, in case of an air raid, they were to go to their closest air raid shelter. If poison gas was being used, they would be warned with handbells, at which point, they should put on their gas masks and not remove them until the sound of handbells informed them that the air was clear.
The Unpleasant Experience Of Wearing One
Source: (Wikimedia/colorized).
The gas masks were made of rubber and had a sickening odor. The window on the children’s mask would fog up almost immediately. Unfortunately, the filters on the masks had asbestos, which of course, can cause lung cancer and other diseases.
Luckily, They Didn't Need To Use Them
Source: (Tumblr/colorized).
Although Britain was the only country to widely distribute gas masks, it wasn’t the only one to use them. They were available in Germany, France, and Italy as well. Although the Soviet Union had suffered the most gas related casualties in World War I, approximately 10% of the population had one. Germany never used poison gas during World War II, and, interestingly, Britain stockpiled more poison gas than Germany.
