23 March 2011

World War I protective face mask

"Masks like this one were worn by British crews in tanks during the First World War. The leather mask is shaped to fit around the eyes and nose and the chain mail was used to protect against splinters from explosions as the tank came under fire."
From the Science Museum (U.K.), via A London Salmagundi.

5 comments:

  1. That is cool, and medieval looking! We are learning about WWI in history and I came across this!

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  2. So much steampunk.

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  3. I'm presuming they wore a helmet with it. Must have been pretty effective over all.

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  4. They seem not have been as effective as wished - else such or similar masks would be worn til today. As I think to remember, these masks were worn exclusively by the tank drivers, sitting in a relatively exposed position, with head outside the tank - nowadays there are periscopes, so the driver can sit protected inside the tank, when under fire.

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  5. It's kinda creepy...

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