Article about: Hello folks. This arrived just a few minutes ago in the post. Something off my Home Front bucket list, and a real wartime curio. This is an Infants' Anti-Gas Helmet, made by Henley in Novemb
This arrived just a few minutes ago in the post. Something off my Home Front bucket list, and a real wartime curio. This is an Infants' Anti-Gas Helmet, made by Henley in November 1939. Apart from the black part surrounding the window, which has hardened and cracked, this piece is in remarkable condition!
The rubberised fabric, usually perished and stiff, looks brand new. No sign of any rust to the frame or any of the metal fittings, no fraying to the canvas parts, and the window itself is intact and clean. The bellows, usually squashed in, are in perfect shape and unperished. Nothing missing, as is commonly the case with examples that turn up for sale.
These seem to be quite rare, even on this forum. My understanding is that many of these were stripped of the bellows and frame postwar, and recycled as paint sprayers' hoods. I can certainly see how they would be useful in that respect.
Also included was one of the instructional/educational pamphlets issued with all of these. Nice to have, although I already have one with my Mickey Mouse mask.
This is, at least in my humble opinion, an excellent representative piece. The new flagship of my Home Front collection. Well worth the £67 winning bid!
yes, very out of the ordinary......seems like maybe the infant might have problems with it? I wonder what ages they were meant for?
tells you how humans are, when babies are still subject to gas attacks
These helmets were designed for children up to 2 years old, by which time they should have been able to wear the 'Mickey Mouse' children's mask. Those were for ages 2-5, and then the child would progress to a small size General Respirator.
I've seen quite a few period photographs of these in use, and for the most part it seems the babies weren't all that scared by them. Although I imagine there were some very unhappy exceptions!
It is indeed both fascinating and morbid, that war should bring about the necessity to create such a thing. But it is a very stark reminder that the would-be gas attacks - as the Blitz was as a whole - would have been completely indiscriminate.
Anti-Gas Helmet for Babies
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