Cold War Crap
British G.D. MK6 Respirator
Manufacturer: Avon
Model: MK6 Respirator
Year of manufacture: 1956 (mask) 1953 (filter) 1944 (haversack)
Fitting: 60mm filter
Fitting: 60mm filter
Country: Great Britain (UK)
Production run: 1950's - 1960's
Vendor: private ebay seller
Price: £10.99 + £3.40 postage
Condition: Used
Size: large
Availability: Relatively easy to find
Condition: Used
Size: large
Availability: Relatively easy to find
Introduction
The G.D MK6 respirator is something of a mystery. It appears that very little is known or has been published regarding the development and introduction of this apparatus except that it frequently gets confused with the older British MK2 light anti-gas respirator. Hardly surprising when you consider the amount of similar looking variants made by the UK at the time. It's easy to get them muddled up.
What is known for certain is that the MK6 is essentially identical to the wartime MK2 except that the voice emitter on the front sticks out rather than sticks inward and the air filter is a 1950's design.
The GD MK6 is based on the MK2 paratroopers gas mask first issued in 1943. It was (I think) the first british gas mask to feature a 60mm side mounted filter which did away with the whole hose pipe and canister arrangement of previous models. The benefit of this system was better freedom of movement for the soldier.
The light anti gas MK2 and later MK3 style of mask was a successful design which saw continued service for many years after the war.
Production seems to have continued into the 1960's before being finally replaced by the Avon S6.
Many surplus unused MK2 and MK6 masks were flogged to the Danish civil defence who were at that time looking to save money.
The much loved and collectable Canadian C3 gas mask was based on this mask.
This particular MK6 was listed on an ebay auction a few months ago. The seller started the bid price low and the result was my winning it for the reasonable price of roughly 14.50 which I didnt think was too bad at the time.
After a few days the mask arrived in a nice packaged cardboard box.
After a few days the mask arrived in a nice packaged cardboard box.
The Face piece
The face piece is constructed from good quality rubber. The usual standard that comes from a british Avon manufactured mask. The eye pieces and voice emitter are well made too. Despite the face piece being around sixty years old its in remarkably good condition. I suspect it has always been stored in its haversack rather than being on display somewhere judging by the quality. The face piece was originally designed to be both comfortable and practical for the wearer and this is certainly true if you try it on. It sits nice on the face and forms a good air tight seal. Avon have a reputation of high quality and workmanship and this post war piece lives up to that.
The face piece features two large round eye pieces which offer a good field of view. The voice emitter on the front is functional and communication through the mask is audible but not the best example of voice transference i have come across.
The inside of the mask is quite basic in its concept. There is no inner rubber mask for a fuller fit which is sometimes found on other masks and there are no Tissot tubes to help keep the eye pieces from fogging up. Just the exhale valve/voice emitter is built in. Its basic but very well made.
Im still trying to find out what 'G.D.' means when referenced to this mask. Im assuming it means 'General Duty' or 'General Distributed' mask perhaps? The lettering found on this mask doesn't seem to stand for anything obvious unlike the GSR 'General service respirator' or CD 'Civilian Duty' naming found on earlier british masks.
I'm still researching this so any updates on this will be posted here.
Perhaps the single biggest mystery concerning this gas mask is its head harness.
Was the harness replaced in the 1960's as the date might suggest? Gas mask folk lore suggests that because the british had masses of these masks hanging around after the war they were recommissioned or kept in service by having the rear head harness replaced? The head harnesses were elasticated and could break or become loose so this could have happened.
The Filter
The filter which accompanies this mask is the L. MK3 produced in 1953. The filter manufacturer is unknown at this point but it would have certainly been a UK company who made it.
It has a 60mm thread diameter and screws on to the left side of the face piece.
It doesn't seem as large as some of the US style 60mm filters. I'm thinking of the american M-9 gas mask filter in particular.
A smaller 60mm could be beneficial to the infantryman who doesn't want a big round filter in his face when he is trying to sight up his rifle.
Its essentially a charcoal based NBC filter designed to be effective against a vast number of nasty toxins. Certainly everything the soviets could throw at you during the cold war years.
⚠⚠Does this filter contain Asbestos?!!⚠⚠
According to my research no white or blue Asbestos was used in this type of filter. Only Charcoal was used as the NBC filter medium. (But don't quote me on that!)
Looking very similar to the american 60mm filters the L MK3 (Light mark 3) wasn't as bulky but still featured the same protective inner layers. The filter which features here is in very good condition with no signs of any degredation. This could be rusting of metal, loose stuff inside or dust/particles falling out of either open end. This particular specimen seems to have survived quite well.
The Haversack
The haversack which holds the mask and filter is in fact the oldest part of the whole kit!
Yes, this musty old green bag pre-dates the mask by about 14 years.
The haversack was originally made in 1944 to hold the original light anti-gas MK2 respirator kit.
So many of these haversacks were made during the war that the surplus were kept in storage and then later re-issued with the newer, more modern masks and filters. It was essentially a simple way of keeping costs down at a time when the UK was still recovering economically from WW2.
I don't think a haversack was ever designed exclusively for the MK6.
The build quality of this old MK2 haversack is really quite surprising. It's not your usual cheap shite material.
Its made primarily from thick canvas with a huge dollop of heavy stitching thrown in. It feels hard wearing and well made.
The haversack features a good solid shoulder strap, brass webbing fittings and internal accessory pockets.
I can see now what the government was thinking...What was the point of designing a brand new haversack for your 1950's masks when you have a warehouse full of these quality things from WW2? Makes perfect sense.
Overall then this is an interesting mask for the collector. A well made gas mask and filter from the cold war kept in a well made bag from the second world war. I think this kind of pairing is quite unique in the gas mask world. The GD MK6 isn't the rarest of gas masks but its certainly one for the collection.
Rating: ✅✅✅✅4 out of 5
Avon gas masks are fantastic, whichever one you choose and the GD MK6 is no exception. If you see one on ebay buy it.....