P gas hood : Private J A K Pratt, 2/Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), British Army

The gas hood consists of a double layered flannel hood with rusting and staining on the external and interior surfaces. A pair of rusted round metal rimmed glass eye pieces are fitted and a corresponding pair of rusty circles are below this from where the object was regulation folded for a period of time. There is a crack in the right glass eyelet. A large letter 'P' has been hand written in black ink on the inside of the front gas hood.

During the First World War the British response to German gas attacks evolved to deal with the increasing range of chemical agents the Germans were introducing.

One response was this 'P' hood or 'Tube helmet' which was already in development as its predecessor, the 'Hypo' helmet was being introduced to frontline troops in June 1915. A major requirement over the 'Hypo' was for the new hood to have better visibility and gas-proof windows or eyepieces for the wearer. The result was simple, glass goggles in flanged metal frames replacing transparent plastic sheet. These new hoods were introduced into service on a trial basis to the Western Front in July 1915. For these hoods a new impregnating mixture containing sodium phenate was introduced which proved difficult to prepare. Also the dipping of the hoods in the solution and the resultant drying process produced unexpected difficulties and it was decided that the hood had to be altered to take a mouthpiece. This hood is a very early example, before the P hoods were fitted with a metal and rubber mouth piece for the wearer. This feature marginally improved what was a practically claustrophobic experience for the wearer.

This type of early protection against German gas attacks on the Western Front during the First World War is very rare in this condition. An interesting idiosyncrasy with British P/PH and PHG hoods of this age is the distinctive circular rust stains on the front of the hood below the eye pieces. This is because the British Army regulations stipulated that when stored, the hood was to be folded in half to help protect the glass eyelets. When the hoods were stored in the years after the war, the chemicals impregnated in the material reacted with the metal forming these rusty circles.

This particular gas hood was collected by Private James Arthur Kirby Pratt of the Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) British Army in 1915.

Pratt was born in Derby, England on 20 December 1896 and he was working as a shop assistant when he enlisted in the British Army on 12 August 1914, aged 18. He was allocated the regimental number of 3886. Pratt saw service with on the Western Front and survived the war. At some stage after the war he immigrated to Australia.

He enlisted into the Australian Army Militia in Queensland early in the Second World War with the service number Q67091. He transferred to the Australian Imperial Force on 18 March 1941 in Brisbane and was allocated the new service number, QX38812. Pratt was discharged from the Second AIF with the rank of warrant officer class 1 on Christmas Day 1942.

• P gas hood carry bag : Private J A K Pratt, 2/Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), British Army
• Instructions for P gas hood : Private J A K Pratt, 2/Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), British Army