The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Brown flannel, PHG-type, gas hood. The hood has two separate round eyepieces with metal frames and an internal pink rubber flange. The metal frames around the eyepieces support a black elastic headband. The simple mouth valve has a brown leather external flap conected to an internal chrome plated metal tube mouthpiece. Stamped in black ink on the front of the mask is 'PHG32'.
During the First World War the British response to German gas attacks evolved to deal with the increasing range of chemical agents the Germans were introducing.
One response was this 'P' hood or 'Tube helmet' which was already in development as its predecessor, the 'Hypo' helmet was being introduced to frontline troops in June 1915. A major requirement over the 'Hypo' was for the new hood to have better visibility and gas-proof windows or eyepieces for the wearer. The result was simple, glass goggles in flanged metal frames replacing transparent plastic sheet. These new hoods were introduced into service on a trial basis to the Western Front in July 1915. For these hoods a new impregnating mixture containing sodium phenate was introduced which proved difficult to prepare. Also the dipping of the hoods in the solution and the resultant drying process produced unexpected difficulties and it was decided that the hood had to be altered to take a mouthpiece. This hood is a very early example, before the P hoods were fitted with a metal and rubber mouth piece for the wearer. This feature marginally improved what was a practically claustrophobic experience for the wearer.
This type of early protection against German gas attacks on the Western Front during the First World War is very rare in this condition. An interesting idiosyncrasy with British P/PH and PHG hoods of this age is the distinctive circular rust stains on the front of the hood below the eye pieces. This is because the British Army regulations stipulated that when stored, the hood was to be folded in half to help protect the glass eyelets. When the hoods were stored in the years after the war, the chemicals impregnated in the material reacted with the metal forming these rusty circles.
The hood is of a type introduced c 1916.
The gas hood consists of a double layered flannel hood with rusting and staining on the external and interior surfaces. A pair of rusted round metal rimmed glass eye pieces are fitted and a correspond
A single sheet paper instructions for the use of the hood. It is titled 'FOR ISSUE TO ALL RANKS / INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE USE OF RESPIRATOR AND SMOKE HELMETS'. During the First World War the British r
The gas hood consists of a double layered flannel hood with staining on the external and interior surfaces. A pair of rusted metal rimmed glass eye pieces are fitted. The right eye piece being cracke
'PH' or 'Tube' helmet respirator as issued to British Army troops from January 1916. The helmet is a simple bag made from a double thickness of unlined blue-grey woollen flannelette fabric with a side
Single layered grey flannel hood which consists of two pieces of flannel machine sewn together. The front half has a rectangular shaped viewing aperture made from a now heavily cracked and broken pie
Gas respirator made from corrugated rubber tubing and mouthpiece from the Drager apparatus. The rubber is showing signs of deterioration. There are no manufacturer markings on the gas mask or mouthpi
