PH GAS HOOD

[Guest trenchfoot]

Can anyone help with the following please?

On a visit to an uncle quite a while ago,knowing i collect raf/militaria ect,

he said he had a gas mask for me if i wanted it, i expected a ww11/home

front mask, but when he found it in his shed i was suprised to see it

was an original ww1 ph hood !......not in the best condition,no bag

and the rubber piece on the front detatched ,cracked eyepiece etc....

but a rare survivor.it also has those chemical 'burns' on it?

On the front it has 'PH.14. stencilled on it, is this usual? or could it

have been some sort of trial mask? if 14 is 1914 it must be quite an

early mask? (hood)

Thanks for all replies to my previous R.M.B. post, as 'signals' wondered

there is indeed a 14/15 star to go with his victory medal,i got muddled

with some other medals! the star has ,on the rear; MUS!

It certainly makes you think seeing a hood like that.....................

how effective were they...........

[Terry_Reeves]

Gas masks were not issued until 1915. The PH stood for Phenate-Hexamine, an improved version of the earlier P helmet. The first issues of the PH were made in January 1916. Hexamine was added to give protection against phosgene which the British felt was the next logical move for the Germans.

In February 1916 the PHG helmet was issued, the "G" standing for goggles.

Terry Reeves

[Joe Sweeney]

Trenchfoot,

The mark you found on the Gas hood is very common. Most PH Helmets are marked with PH and a number. Those not marked maybe P helmets. The number had nothing to do with a date (as in year of manufacture). I have not been able to determine the exact meaning of the number system with much certainty, but a limited number of clues have provoked some suspicions. I believe that the numbers refer to first the type of solution the mask was dipped in and secondly the lot numbers. This became important as both P and PH helmets were issued simultaneously to the same soldier (P and PH helmets are identical).

Early Smoke Helmets (Hypo) are invariably not marked. The two following images of smoke Helmets issued to the same RE Special Brigade member are not and never were marked.

The following photos show what could be a PH and P helmet. The P could could designate "Phenate", or it could also designate "Practice". Evidence is sketchy so this is conjecture. The PH is designated by a PH27 and was made by H Lotery.

The following image shows another PH made by Debenham's that has a PH65.

So you can see that the mark you found on your helmet is quite common.

Joe Sweeney