Belgium WW1 M1918 Gas Mask

Belgium WW1 M1918 Gas Mask.

A particularly well preserved example of the most interesting of WW1 gas masks.

Fantastic supple leather face mask wit all of its original head straps and neck strap. Very clear eye lenses. Complete with original khaki painted filter. Together with its French made 1918 dated carry canister also in its original khaki green painted finish.

Captured by the French and made in England these masks were made from composed German "Lederschutzmaske" masks and French ASR respirator and canister parts.

At the end of 1917 the French army captured almost 18,000 German made gas masks on several fronts.
In the absence of this kind of masks for the allies the idea arose to reuse them with new parts and to the Belgians.
Sent to the UK, and in Porton Down, England were the masks were assembled with French filters.
They were also fitted with French made ASR gas mask canisters with a bilingual labe inside.

It's known that not all masks were sent to the front immediately and again attained only after the Armistice arrived.
As a result, a large part of these masks so remained almost unused.
They were stored in the mid-1920s, later and later used. some text on the cover on the canister lid refers ' 25 (1925).




Extraordinary piece of history!

Code: 20