![]() ![]() Eventually there was the development of masks that vented air over the lenses to demist them as seen with the Tissot mask, as well as the use of anti-fog materials like in British Small Box Respirators and German gas masks.ĭespite the discomforts and low visibility the Small Box Respirator was an effective piece of kit. These early gas masks had glass lenses, which would fog up over time. Even though I had been wearing the respirator for less than half an hour it was already becoming uncomfortable for me to wear this modern respirator because of the heat building up inside of it.Īnother problem that Owen alludes to in his poem is visibility. ![]() During the short time I was handling the mask I was wearing a modern respirator that only covered my mouth and nose. ![]() Also, heat would slowly build up inside the mask, making it even more uncomfortable to wear. This clamp was a common complaint with the mask, as it would get uncomfortable the longer the mask was worn. This ensured that even if the mask was not airtight that you could still breathe safely. Inside of the mask is a small breathing tube, as well as a clamp that pinches your nose shut. All of this had to be done without breathing in any of the gases floating towards your lines. Within seconds of a gas alarm you had to remove your helmet, remove your respirator from the haversack around your neck, place it over your head, clamp the nose piece on to your nose and bite down on the breathing tube. While examining the Small Box Respirator it is easy to see what Wilfred Owen means by “an ecstasy of fumbling”. Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!–An ecstasy of fumblingīut someone still was yelling out and stumblingĪnd flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.–ĭim through the misty panes and thick green light,Īs under a green sea, I saw him drowning. Owen’s description of a man who failed to put his mask on in time helps to show how important the gas mask was. They were critical if a soldier wished to survive a gas attack and fight another day. Gas masks like this were an incredibly important part of a soldier’s kit. We are quite fortunate here at the museum to have a First World War era British Small Box Respirator. The objects that really evoked these feelings were the gas masks. Once I started working with some of the objects of the First World War, the imagery became much more vivid. I could picture the most chilling lines of the poem, but it still remained just an image in my mind. Until I began working at the Fredericton Region Museum, the vivid imagery remained just a part of the poem. The vivid scenery in Wilfred Owen’s Dulce et Decorum Est helps me to recall that many people of all nationalities went through terrifying experiences with chemical warfare during the First World War. ![]()
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