Original British Army MKVI Chest Respirator Gas Mask

An original early WW2 British Army Chest Respirator, often referred to as a 'gas mask'.

This original set consists of an early stockinette covered facepiece dated August 1938 (December 1937 to the front), Brick red canister dated September 1942 and MK VI Haversack dated 1940. Army Council Instructions relating to gas were regularly changed and updated leading to gas masks being updated throughout the war, hence the variety of dates found here. 

The gas mask itself is a nice example with good clear pre-war dates and the early stockinette covered face piece. The respirator haversack is made from a khaki coloured duck cotton and bears the makers name of 'Bukta' as well as the 1940 date. The original owner has marked his name 'Oliver' to the inside of the flap. Inside the bag cardboard sections have been fitted to give the bag a square shape, making it smarter when worn. The original cotton waist was also still present inside the bag as can be seen in the pictures. The original string which is used to fasten the haversack onto the wearers chest whilst worn at the 'alert' position is still present too - These are quite often missing on examples offered for sale today. 

The overall condition of all the items is good with some signs of age and service wear which is to be expected. Please study the pictures provided. 

A nice original early war example which would make a nice addition to any collection!