BRITISH WWI THE ALLENBURY GAS FACE MASK.

A very rare piece of First War British equipment being the Allenbury patent gas face mask that which has a Mica eye slit. Normally Mica of this age would have broken and discoloured, there are slight creases in it but no breaks and it is still clear. The full edges of the mask are elasticated to allow a snug fit to the head with a black neck tie. It is slightly discoloured in places with what appears to be a damp black lacquer in one spot. These masks were manufactured by the well known Company Allen and Hanbury in May 1915 and were one of the many experiments in the protection of soldiers against gas attack, this item was found in a small militaria shop in 1989 by a very experianced collector friend of ours , who contacted the Imperial war Museum asking for photos of one, The IWM did not have one in their collections but were able to supply photos of the mask being used which accompany this mask, the IWM also stated at the time that so few were produced it is highly likly that only small number have survived , their is a good description and images on pages145 and 146 of Campaign 15 published by Military Mode publishing and written by Chris Pollendine

Code: 85913