Hello all! This is probably one of (if not) my favourite pieces - it’s just so iconic of the horrors of chemical warfare & WW1 as a whole for me. It’s also a rather personal item - with the name and writing. Judging by the stained and weathered straps, the lad who wore this may have gotten into some rough times. I have not changed it in any way (for all I know that canister strap has been tied like that for 100 years!)

I only assume it is an ARS17, so a French made mask - but being that I came across it in Belgium (Ypres no less!) I would not be surprised for it to have been a Belgian issue. I don’t know what the TO stands for, or the red ‘I’ on the mask itself (in photos). I also do not know what the small hole in the bottom of the gas mask is for (ventilation? again, photos). Thankfully there is only minor damage from It (I assume) sitting in it’s canister for many many years, so the eyepieces have slighly come away from the mask material at the edges.

(ugh, sorry about the side ways photos, I should really try and fix that up)
Overall, I really like this piece!

Click to enlarge the picture