Over 38 million standard civilian gas masks were distributed during the war. This child’s ‘Mickey Mouse’ Gas Mask (1) was given to children between two and five years of age in the hope that the bright colours would make it less frightening. Children carried their Gas Masks everywhere with them in a cardboard box (2).
Babies and children under the age of two received special Gas Masks. The Baby Protective Helmet (3) required a parent to constantly pump in filtered air for their child, to keep out poison gas.
Sometimes entire schools were evacuated to camps or evacuation hostels where they lived and were taught. The Evacuation Hostel Scotland Badge (4) was worn to identify staff working in the hostels.
