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Experiences of the Great War

Gas masks

With the establisment of gas as a weapon used by both sides in the First World War, a major concern of the troops was the effectiveness of their protection against its effects.

Protection was initially non-existent, and early gas-masks or 'respirators', once introduced, offered only a minimal improvement.

Lance Corporal Ramage alludes to this problem in his diary:

'Respirators are now made of cotton waste which are now and then wetted with some clear liquid carried by the sergeant. We have to take a decent bite of this cotton waste when we tie the respirators on.'

Later he describes a more sophisticated form of gas mask:

'Gas helmets put on — merely flannel bags with two pieces of celluloid for seeing through. The bag was put over the head and the mouth of the bag was tucked within collar of the tunic. The goggles soon got broken. Smoke helmet made darkness worse so tore it off. Eyes smarted painfully and watered with gas smelling like petrol or garlic from gas shells.'

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