British Avon Civilian Gas Mask

The Avon gas mask was the standard civilian gas mask issued in the United Kingdom in World War Two. It was supplied by and remained the property of the government via the local councils. The example shown here is a medium size, other sizes being small and large. The mask was supplied in a cardboard box (as shown) which had string attached in order to enable the carrier to better transport the mask during their day-to-day activities. Under various aspects of legislation enacted in 1939, it was an offence not to carry your gas mask at all times and anyone found to be in breach of this would be liable to a fine. At the end of the war, it was deemed too expensive to collect the masks and so, while some were handed back, most were simply relegated to people's lofts, sheds, etc.




In recent times, it has been discovered that masks contained asbestos as part of the filter system. Therefore it is advised that under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should these be worn.









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