Historical information

This style of mask was developed in Britain and began to appear from the 1930s, though original models may have been produced in the 1920s. Various patents for this style of mask were still being filed in the 1960s, so they were used for a considerable period of time. It is possible that the original filter pads for these masks contained asbestos, as they supposedly utilised 'fire proof' materials. Asbestos was already in use in other British respirator masks at this time.

Original cataloguing information believed this item to be an eye shield, but further research has indicated that this is not the case.

Physical description

Mask consists of a metal plate designed to cover the lower half of the face. There is a recess along the top edge of the plate designed for the nose to sit in. There is a large oblong opening with rounded corners at the centre of the mask, which is a mouth opening to assist speech and is the main air intake. There are five round holes on either side of the mask, likely included to decrease the mask's breathing resistance for the wearer. Rounded slots at each edge of the mask are threaded through with an elastic strap, used for attaching the mask to the face.
This mask would have been used with a filtering pad attached, but the pad is missing.