War and Children

[ChrisM]

Originally Posted by Slipdigit

To those of you who had one of these things:
Did you really understand at the time what they were for?

An interesting question, Jeff. As one slides gracefully into decrepitude one starts to try to remember such things. It’s difficult. It all went on for a long time, in my case from the age of three-and-a-half until just past my ninth birthday, and in that period awareness of the world around one obviously grew significantly. In my case it all took place on the outskirts of Birmingham.

But as best I remember, when I was being forced into my Mickey Mouse mask I was dimly aware that this was a necessity and that it would enable me to breathe, if and when - although I couldn’t really see how as the thing seemed to be suffocating me. Gas was a concept which was not wholly alien. My mother’s stove ran on "gas", town gas. I knew that that was dangerous – not only could it blow you up but you most certainly did not breathe it in. In fact the smell of it was unpleasant and was furthermore always the cause of parental panic when detected. So it was not really a surprise that one should need protection in case the Germans decided to inflict it or something similar upon me. After my unpleasant first experience with the mask – which could even have been before the outbreak of war – there must have been practice puttings-on at home and school, but I don’t remember them and so the terrors of the thing must have abated by then.

Awareness of the risk of gas attack was always there. In my case there was a constant reminder just over the road from where we lived. On the grass verge there was a little post, about three feet high. On the top of it was a square of flat wood, slightly angled but mainly pointing upwards. It was painted a strange, dull colour, a sort of greyish-green, I think. I was told by my father that if this thing’s colour ever changed that would mean that we were under attack with gas. I was constantly aware of this strange device and it was there throughout the war but I cannot say it dominated my thoughts.

I think a child of that age was already conscious of the horrors around in the world and this awareness was fuelled by many factors, not least an active imagination. One was just so lucky that one encountered few of them first-hand, especially when one compares one's mild experience with that of millions of other children in Europe and Asia and a large number elsewhere in Great Britain. Even to me the world seemed a very alien and threatening place. I was quite clear that the aim of every single German was to ensure my demise, by gas, bullet or bomb and they would later be joined by the entire Japanese population who would probably arrange it with even greater cruelty. And violence was everywhere in the background. I once asked my father if I could go to work with him one morning. "Good Lord, no", he replied. "I would be shot!" Such was the world in which I was living that I accepted this comment literally and worried about it for a long, long time. During that period I was waiting one day with my mother to meet him outside the factory gates and noticed that the Works Police were all armed. This confirmed my fears and shook me significantly, to the extent of being cross-examined by my mother about whether I was feeling ill.

Because of my father’s Home Guard involvement I was exposed to quite a lot of military equipment and weaponry at home. Somehow this was different, not really threatening, just interesting and exciting, even though it was all very much a part of the dreadful things which were going on. I wrote a bit of rubbish about it once, here, and also about my feelings during the bombing, within this page. But that’s drifting off-topic and away from gas masks.…..

Chris

[4th wilts]

britain has been attacked several times in the last century,2 wars,bombings of many cities,i could not give a s##t if bin laden blew a bomb up 100yds away,if you die you die.nobody in my family care either.life is too short to worry about what ifs and terrorists,b######s to them all.lee.

[von Poop]

Great stuff Chris, with a mention of the elusive gas detecting paint, as mentioned in this thread. Don't suppose you can remember the stuff being painted on pillar boxes as mentioned there? Or on any other surfaces than this post across the road from you?

Cheers,
Adam.

[4th wilts]

my nan and other older family members had gas masks etc,but us kids were brought up not to worry about gas,bombs etc,all pragmatic really,its in the pyche of the nation imo.yours,4th wilts

[ChrisM]

Yes, Adam, since you mention it I do remember the domed tops of some circular postboxes being of the same colour. An ideal location. But unfortunately I don't recall seeing anything else. It's probably something one wouldn't notice unless one was keeping an eye open for it.

Chris

[Slipdigit]

Thanks Chris, I appreicate you taking the time to offer your memories and thoughts.

[von Poop]

Cheers Chris, it's a small detail that's intrigued me ever since it came up.
How does it feel to be a primary source?

[ChrisM]

Old!!!!

Chris

[Owen]

Adam just asked me about this picture from this website.
thetimmys.com



Best I can do to explain it is from page 20 & 21 of Tank Rider by Evgeni Bessonov.

When our 341st school joined the trade school in Decenber 1940 we were transferrd to the 350th school on Bolshaya Pochtovaya street, the Komsomol organization elected me the chairman of voluntary Osviakhim society* (renamed DOSAAF after the war). I would not say that this organisation did a lot of activities in the school , but there were sometimes shooting competetions ...hiking trips in gasmasks ; sometimes even classes and other activities were done in gasmasks.

* translator of book says Osviakhim was the Society for the Promotion of Aviation and Defence against chemicals.. An educational organization of 1930s, providing basic military education with training against chemical attacks.

[Paul Reed]

What an amazing photo, Owen!!