Pictures of this mask's variations can be found in the gallery below. It was made by two main companies Seibe Gorman and Avon. This mask was issued to many countries who were allies with the British Military such as Malta, Canada and New Zealand, all having their own variations (except for Malta). For vision a thin plastic sheet was placed providing frontal vision only. The length of the straps could be changed by removing the safety pins and replacing them when the desired length was reached. The straps of this mask were very basic and simply went over the head (3-pointed harness). Some of these masks had an arsenic 'pre filter' which was a green part which stuck out on the filter. The mask later developed to have an exhale valve, in the form of a 'flutter type' valve. The air is breathed in through the filter and exhaled from the sides of the mask. This mask is very basic and does not even have an exhale valve. After the war, unfortunately, many of these masks were cut at the filter end to make an elastic band which was used as a makeshift slingshot by children. In fact, women had special handbags where they could carry their masks. Civilians were legally required to have their gas masks within reach at all times, and there was an extensive propaganda campaign designed to increase awareness. The General Civilian Respirator was issued to every civilian by the government in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Civilian gas mask ww2