British SR6 NBC Respirator Part 2 - 'The Major's Mask'

British SR6 number 2 - 1968 model 'The Majors Mask'

 The MK1 SR6 and 58 Pattern Haversack 

Manufacturer: Leyland & Birmingham Rubber Co, England
Model: SR6 NBC respirator
Country: United Kingdom, Turkey
Production run: 1966 - 1986
Replaced: Light anti-gas respirator
Availability: Hard to find with inscription
Size: N (normal)
Produced: 1968
Condition: used but in excellent condition
Price: £12.00 + £6.00 postage
Source: Private seller on ebay

So here I have my second and most interesting British SR6 respirator.
Much like my second S10 blog post I wont be going into the finer details of the SR6 as I already covered it in Part 1 .
Click HERE to see SR6 part 1

The interesting aspect of this particular SR6 is that fact that it once belonged to a Major in the British army.  And whats more, it's in immaculate condition considering its age.
Happily this SR6 came with the correct haversack rather than an old S10 carrier like the first so that is a bonus.


So who the hell was Major Canning?

Very little is known about the man behind the mask. Without his army number it can be quite difficult to pin down his service history, where he was stationed etc.
However...

Major Canning was the leader of 'C' company, 1st battalion of the Duke of Edinburgh's royal regiment.

From August to December of 1969 his company were posted to Londonderry in Northern Ireland to help keep order during the 'troubles'

Canning is the guy on the right

The photo above is of Canning, (right) the officer commanding 'C' company here talking with lieutenant Colonel H C Millman the commanding officer of 1st Battalion Queen's regiment whilst on service in Londonderry.

The Face piece

Considering this mask is 50 years old this year it looks like it just came out of the factory. The rubber is in fantastic condition and the fabric head harness is still tight with no signs of stretching.
The eye piece glass is free from scratches and abrasions and the tape around the exhale valve is stuck down well and not peeling.

The inside of the mask is also in A1 condition. The inflatable inner mask does not leak and the inflation tap works correctly.
Overall I think it would be difficult to find another SR6 in as good condition as this.

The Filter canister

Here we have an original 1968 MK1 filter canister. Looking like it just came out of the packet.
There doesn't appear to be any dents or paint chips anywhere on this can.
A really good example.


MK1 58 Pattern Haversack

Here we have the original haversack from the 1960's. Those who are paying attention will notice that it is very similar to the old WW2 light anti gas respirator bags. Although this is a 1958 pattern very little had changed since the war. I guess there was no need to change the design if it didn't need changing. 

The haversack is made from thick canvas with a press stud and fast catch system. Like the war time haversacks this haversack feels strong and rugged. Much stronger than the nylon material used on later S10 haversacks.

The haversack features a long shoulder strap and has a string waist tie for securing to the body to prevent it flapping about when he soldier ran. 

The SR6 with the British MKIII NBC smock (and some ugly beggar underneath it!)

Overall this kit is a fine example from the early days of the SR6/S6. There doesn't appear to be any marks, bumps, dents or decay anywhere inside or out which means that I won't be parting with it anytime soon. 
It's an added bonus to know that I was once the property of the major. Something to talk about not just another mask with no story.
It will now sit in my collection and gather some more dust.  

British S10 NBC Respirator Part 2 - 2009

British S10 NBC Respirator part 2 - 2009 model

Manufacturer: Avon UK
Model: S10 respirator
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2009
Size: 1
Price: £15.00 including postage
Condition: like new, excellent
Source: eBay
Issuer: Royal Navy
Location: HMS Richmomd

Almost a complete S10 kit

Well here we are again and this time the Long awaited second S10 on my collection.
This time a gas mask with a bit of a back story. A name to tie it to,
Apparently a former possession of petty officer D Griffiths of the British royal navy. How good is that?!
I stumbled across this S10 quite be accident. I wasn't really looking to buy another after the bargain 1989 model I picked up a few weeks before but I can't resist a bargain, and this 2009 model was going cheap. I played the eBay bidding game and snagged it for £15 which seems unbelievable considering the amount of stuff which came with it.  It's almost complete. Just short of the chemical indicator papers that's all. I can live with that!
Now I'm not really going to go into too much detail with this mask as I did that already in part 1. It's the same mask essentially. So it's just a quick look at what came with this kit.
For the first part of the S10 (1989 model) review click HERE

The Face piece

The star of the show is the S10 face piece and this example is in perfect used condition. not one blemish and not one scratch. Not surprising really as the need to use a gas mask on board ship in peace time is virtually non existent. I suspect this mask was only worn during a training drill or something. No complaints on appearance from me anyway, its immaculate.

It will be interesting to see how the drinking system works on this mask now that I have the water bottle adapter. Apparently its works well and much better than the ones found on lesser soviet bloc masks.


The eyes have it!
This 2009 model S10 came with the prescription lens fittings. Basically a piece of rubber with two circular forms which sits just in front of the eye pieces. These are designed to hold specially made specticle lens for visually impaired service personnel.
After months of trawling eBay for an S10 I never saw one with this fitting an interesting feature none the less.

Extra round eye pieces to hold prescription lens!

The extra eye piece things inside the mask look really strange from this angle. Surprisingly they don't hinder your vision and so there is no need to remove them if you don''t wear specs like me.
Making the S10 respirator accessible to the visually impaired is a clever idea if you ask me especially if non spectacle wearers can use the mask too without removing the modification. Avon certainly innovate.


The Filters

This S10 kit came with the standard training filter already fitted and a brand new sealed filter. This is how they come when issued.
The Filters supplied with this S10 kit were made by Scott safety UK, Just a few miles down the road from me in Skelmersdale, Lancashire..
The Skelmersdale site is also where the new Scott GSR respirator is manufactured. The mask which replaced the S10 a few years ago. Many will say that the current GSR is a steaming pile of shite and a poor replacement to the S10 but that's a story for another day!

Lucky for me this 2009 kit has a brand new and sealed filter in the bag. These filters carry a ten year shelf life so it should be good for another year or so officially. However, if this filter remains in its sealed state it should be good for twenty years or so. It's true that filters will degrade over time but not that quickly. The MOD have to have best before dates on their stuff to cover themselves in case something happens. Especially in today's world of suing and court cases.

The Haversack

The red dog tag is for identification during training exercises

Not to see here except for a typical S10 haversack in pretty good condition. It's a 1999 issue which suggests this bag from from an earlier issued mask that the sailor had.

A 1999 vintage Haversack by the looks of it

The haversack is in good order, the velcro on the top flap is still effective and not clogged up with fibers or dirt. It's been well looked after anyway.

The Accessories

What we have here are two different Osprey water bottle caps. One normal screw top cap and one specifically designed to work with the S10 drinking tube. Handy.


Survive to Fight NBC drill (revision 3 1995)
The included booklet has many pages within, far too many to be arsed taking photos of them all so I selected a few listed below.

The original booklet! 

Everything you need to know about the S10

How many other gas masks kits come with this sort of thing?

What do we have here? The trusty "Survive to fight" instruction booklet often missing from S10 kits. This plastic cased bendy book outlines everything a service person needs to prepare and survive a CBRN (Or NBC if you prefer) attack.
It's actually quite a good read and really useful in highlighting how to use protect yourself and maintain the S10 properly.
It's usual home is just inside the top flap of the haversack behind the elastic straps.

S10 Service log book

A very interesting service record

Another nice personal touch in this S10 kit is this rare service record with the mask being officially tested for safety on board the ship HMS Richmomd . It's not something I have seen before except for the odd blank service cards you get with ex Soviet bloc masks. They are a nice addition to the kit.

Something doesnt't add up?
Those who are paying attention would have noticed that the paper service record could not possibly belong to this mask. take another look at the photos again and it becomes obvious that the record pre dates the mask. It also refers to a mask which is a size 2 and this mask is actually a size 1. This could mean two things. Either this mask was a replacement to the one the sailor had originally or the ebay seller mixed up the mask with with another kit he had.
My suspicion is that the former is true. it's a replacement mask. oh well     

  Featuring the original dog name tags fitted!

I'm more than impressed with this eBay haul. The kit is in amazing condition, almost brand new. I know it's not as old as my other S10 but I don't care about that.
It's fascinating to know this once belonged to a sailor in the RN (probably) - issued but very well looked after I would say.
whatever the real story, I don't really care, I won't be selling this fine specimen, that's for sure!

Avon EH20 Escape hood

Avon EH20 NBC escape Hood 

Manufacturer: Avon protection plc
Model: EH20
Country: UK
Description: CBRN air purifier emergency escape hood
Year: 2006
Condition: new and unused
Price: £2.59 + £3.90 postage
Source: eBay

Well here is something you don't see every day... A fancy civilian (almost corporate) version of a gas mask. Designed  primarily to help facilitate a hasty exit from an office disaster or as an immediate respirator for the likes of police or fire departments. 

Essentially what we have here is a single use respirator capable of keeping out a wide range of airborne nasties for a maximum of about 20 mins, enough time to leg it from a disastrous situation and certainly the same capabilities as what a regular gas mask and filter can do. 

Simple no nonsense instructions for a quick get away!

Very little is known about the EH20 hood. It doesn't feature anywhere on the Avon website now or in the past which seems a little strange. However Avon do have an equivalent escape hood in current production called the NH15 which is pretty much the same product albeit with a few slight cosmetic changes.
These type of personal protection products seem to be aimed at the American market by the look of it. I can't remember ever seeing anything like this in the UK. As far as I know our police use regular avon FM-12s and the fire brigade have their own siebe-gorman type rebreathers . I could be wrong though?

According to the spiel on the NH15, these escape hoods not only protect against the airborne stuff but also protect against chemical splashes to the face thanks to the complete head covering they provide.. It seems a great idea!.
Avon also boasts that these escape hoods are the smallest compact respirators on the market. - what about the tiny Russian POY mask? Oh well

These respirators have a shelf life of five years which is OK but not on the scale of a regular mask which have filters that can have a ten year shelf life. As these respirators are cheap and cheerful the five year thing isn't really a problem. When it's expires, you just buy another I guess.

fits snuggly inside its nylon outer case.

Enough of the waffle, it's time to have a look at the damn thing.
Well first off the EH20 comes very tightly packed inside a silver foiled air tight pouch. It's definitely a single use item as there is no way you could fold it back up neatly in the foil again.
On the outside of the foil is a very well presented sticker of instructions outlining the fastest the way of fitting the hood in an emergency situation.
I can't knock Avon on their approach. These instructions are simple to follow and allow someone to get the hell out of somewhere quickly and safely without having to learn how to use the damn thing first. No prior safety course required here. I really like the concept so far.

Twin filters with a rudimetary voice diaphram on the front

The silver foil pouch sits snuggly inside a black nylon case. The case itself is practical and seems hard wearing. It features a handy belt loop on the back so the hood can be worn on someone's belt for fast deployment.
Once again it haas been carefully designed to be as neat and as compact as possible. The hood in its foil sealed pouch just about fits the case with no room to spare.  I pity the poor beggar who had to pack these in the factory. must have been an nightmare!

The hood itself is made from a clear plastic material which is  large enough to fit over even the biggest of heads. The hood then becomes completely air tight with the only air coming through the two flat filters on the front.
It's quite comfortable to wear and doesn't irritate as I first thought.
The escape hood is designed in such a way as to be donned quickly and safely - even if an idiot got hold of one. It seems impossible to get it wrong.

Great visabilty but looks like you have a bag on your head!

The business end of the hood, namely the dual filters are made from a newer type of filter material able to fend of the majority of toxic agents thrown at it.
The hood does feature a speech diaphragm of sorts allowing clear communications with others during an attack. It looks a little basic but it does the job.

Getting a hold of one of these specific escape hoods is pretty difficult, especially if you live in the UK. Since i bought this a few months ago i have yet to see any more floating around ebay. The NH15 on the other hand is much easier to get hold of. Despite Avons claims that the respirator is cheap and disposable it's not. Well its not cheap anyway. Some sellers in the US are flogging them for over 100 dollars each which seems outrageous.

I suppose this item does have its place in world of the gas mask. Its certainly an interesting one for the collection without a doubt.
In short then it's a gas mask in its most basic form. Made with expert know how by the clever guys at Avon who in my opinion make the finest gas masks on the market and have done for some time.
Avon never fail to impress with their innovations.

British SR6 NBC Respirator Part 1

British SR6 Respirator number 1 - 1966

Manufacturer: Leyland & Birmingham Rubber Co, England
Model: SR6 NBC respirator
Country: United Kingdom, Turkey
Production run: 1966 - 1986
Replaced: Light anti-gas respirator
Availability: quite easy to find on ebay UK
Size: N (normal)
Produced: 1966
Condition: used but in very good shape
Price: £19.99
Source: Charity seller on ebay

Buying an SR6 gas mask for my collection has been a very long time coming. The delay hasn't been down to my lack of desire to own one. More down to the cost and availability of them over the past year or so.
Recently I was fortunate enough to obtain two SR6s quite cheaply from ebay and this is my appraisal of the first (and oldest) piece.

These things are fast becoming antiques now so as the age of the S6 goes up in years then so does the price on the open market.
Typically a full SR6/S6 kit can fetch as much as £50 on ebay which is quite pricey compared to the multitude of similar aged soviet masks out there.
This first example of an SR6 cost me a grand total of £20 which seemed a fair price.


A bit about the SR6
At the time of writing this post I have no idea why this mask has two different model numbers? Is it an S6 or is it a SR6? Both numbers are stamped on the face piece which is confusing never the less the British SR6 was originally designed in the late 1950s as a replacement to the light anti-gas respirator which has been knocking about in one form or another since the war.
The SR6 NBC respirator came into service in 1966 and was issued to all branches of the UKs armed forces including civilian police forces for a period of twenty years until it was officially decommissioned in 1986 when the S10 would replace it. 
The SR6 actually continued to be used for much longer than that.

A mask made famous by the SAS

SAS assault on the Iranian embassy in London 1980

In 1980 a group of arab terrorists took 26 people hostage at the Iranian embassy in London.
Demanding the release of imprisoned comrades and safe passage from the UK they set about a sit-in siege which would last a full six days before the UK government got fed up and sent in the SAS to sort them out.
Operation Nimrod as it was known saw a small column of SAS troops dramatically assault the embassy and bring the situation under control. The operation was hailed a success and would forever cement the SAS reputation as being as hard as nails.
Millions of viewers around the world witnessed the assault on television and one memorable image were the soldiers wearing the S6 gas mask before, during and after the raid.
The SR6 will forever be associated with the SAS and the 1980 embassy incident.

Prime minister Margaret Thatcher was later photographed with the SAS members who took part in the operation when she met them to offer thanks from the government.

What came in the kit

• SR6 Face piece
• 40mm filter canister

What should be in the kit (to be complete)

• Original MK1 Haversack
• Decontamination outfit
• Survive to fight NBC booklet revision 1
• anti-dim outfit

Unfortunately this example of the SR6/S6 did not come with all of its original kit components. Not surprising considering the price I paid for it.  Fortunately the absent accessories can be bought separately from ebay to make the kit complete if so desired.

The Face piece

Following in the footsteps of it's predecessor the MK2 light anti-gas respirator, the SR6 is another well made and well designed british mask. The rubber used for the face piece is the thick butyl type - strong yet supple to the touch.      

The left side of the face piece is pretty much void of any notable features except perhaps for the date stamps. This particular mask was made in 1966, the first year of official deployment with the army. 

The right side features the 40mm screw thread connection for the filter and the size stamp.  This mask is an 'N' which means normal size. 

The SR6 has a very innovative inflatable inner mask which can be inflated to ensure a custom fit for the user. The air bladder is operated by way of a tap which sits just inside the mask.

Looking much like the drinking straws found in other masks, this air straw is inflated by the user once the mask has been donned. This clever feature is quite unique and actually works really well in practice. I have no idea why other manufacturers never pickup up on this idea and carried it on. 

The fixing harness at the rear of the mask is a six point design. The straps themselves are made from elasticated cotton and fixed to the mask with metal buckles. Over time and continued use these straps can start to fray but fortunately for me this example hasn't had that much use and so the straps are in very good condition.

The front of the face piece features the large round exhale valve/voice diaphragm and the curious looking eye pieces. The exhale/voice assembly whilst crude in looks is in fact very effective.

At the center of the assembly is a small black metal disc where sound is ejected. Surrounding the disc is a rubber ring which has a slit on either side to allow the exhaled air to escape the mask.  The rubber ring is fixed to the mask with a type of tape which can deteriorate over time. Some good old black insulation tape can be used as a replacement should a repair be required.

Not only does the SR6 have a unique air bladder it also has unique eye pieces. 

Most civilian and military gas masks have flat eye lens but the SR6 has curved lens instead. 

One presumes the idea for this shape was to offer a much better field of view for the user, however they have proven to be quite contraversial among enthusiasts. Many people complained that they had experienced a feeling of nausia after just a few minutes of using the mask due to the fish bowl effect the curved lens presented. This unpleasant side effect wasn't felt by everyone and did not damaged the masks reputation among the soldiers of the british army.

I must admit the eye pieces are very distinctive and a nice feature in my opinion. 

I have yet to come across another mask which has such radical eye pieces as this. 

The Filter Canister

The photos above and below feature the MK1 PR130 NBC filter which originally shipped with the SR6.

This particular filter was made in 1970 and is in quite good condition. There are a few dings here and there but nothing to worry about.
Of course, it has long since expired and therefore no good for anything other than for collecting or display purposes.

Donning and Doffing
Getting the SR6 on and off is simple, fast and easy.
The elasticated straps which attatch to the back of the head are very generous in terms of flexibility and allows for confortable adjustment once the mask is on.
Making an air tight seal around the face is made easy with the inflatable air bladder mentioned earlier. This added seal would be a huge benefit to the user in a real NBC situation as it could save them time in adjustments and reduce the possible risk of a mis-seal and subsequent breech which can happen sometimes.
Once the SR6 is properly fitted it tends to stay put. It doesn't seem front heavy or lob sided in any way, infact feeling reasonably light on the face.

Removing the SR6 is once again very quick and easy with the minimum of fuss.
Overall it's a very comfortable mask to wear all things considered.

Verdict
The SR6 respirator is another classic gas mask in much the same way as the S10 which came after. The build quality and inovations are remarkable for a mask design of over fifty years old. The SR6 is probably no good for preppers to use these days as its getting on in years and may not stand up to todays NBC situations but it still remains an essential mask for the serious collector. It has a character of all it's own.