Light Gas Mask Pouch Question

I'm wondering if someone can clarify this for me. I have a few different examples of these light gas mask pouches in my collection. Most have the pull tab closure as normally seen, but this one has a lift the dot closure on it. Has anyone come across these before?

Yes, but only on British made pouches. All of the Canadian pouches that I have come across have pull tab closures.

Thanks Steve! M.H. & Co. is an Australian manufacturer I believe. Most of the web I have with this maker is D/|\D marked, except for these gas mask bags. The gas mask bag was recently found in an unissued stash of Canadian military surplus webbing dating from the 40's to the 60's.

Man, this task of figuring out all these manufacturers is going to be the death of me.

Also noticed another difference with the bag. The one being discussed has buckles on the side for the carrying strap instead of the normally seen loops. Also has a reinforcing stitch on the flap. Perhaps it is all just differences with manufacturers.



1944 dated bag that is on my mannequin. Loops and no reinforcing stitch on the flap. Also has a small loop attached along the rear side that the above bag does not have.


small loop in front of the bayonet...

mk1rceme wrote:Thanks Steve! M.H. & Co. is an Australian manufacturer I believe. Most of the web I have with this maker is D/|\D marked, except for these gas mask bags. The gas mask bag was recently found in an unissued stash of Canadian military surplus webbing dating from the 40's to the 60's.

Man, this task of figuring out all these manufacturers is going to be the death of me.

Okay, that could very well be. All I know is that I have only seen those bags with the broad arrow and so my natural assumption was that they were British made. If it is an Australian maker mark then perhaps this version is unique to the Australians. Of course more research would be necessary. Regardless, the snap closure would be more difficult to use than the pull tab.

Quite a few differences between these two...more research indeed.

I thought "M H & Co" was M Harvey and Co, of Walsall, UK. They have been manufacturing equipment for the British Army since WWI at least. It doesn't look very Australian to me.

Rob

Yep, your right...I'm getting mixed up with all these makers. I have seen M.H. & Co. webbing with Australian acceptance marks though. I have just found a few pictures of British made gas mask bags with C Arrows on them too. I think whichever country got them stamped them with their own broad arrow.

Just thought I would add to this topic. I just dug out four of these Light Haversacks I bought a while ago and had stored away. I realised they are all 'lift the dot' types and all made by M.H. & Co. in 1943, but not all the same. I have included a picture of each type, the first is the same as the example already posted with side buckle, and the other with the regular side ring. So the variations are clearly not just between manufacturers as these were made by the same company in the same year :)







Rob

Rob,
You must have picked these up from the same place I got mine since I have the exact same ones. It is odd seeing the differences from this mfr. from the same year.

mk1rceme wrote:Rob,
You must have picked these up from the same place I got mine since I have the exact same ones. It is odd seeing the differences from this mfr. from the same year.

I got them from Ribtor in Calgary. I wonder whether the differences are a choice or just a result of circumstances. The left one looks like patchwork, so maybe they were using up pieces of the old cloth as they switched to the new. Is the strap fixing change due to a shortage of rings maybe? Interesting. Certainly it seems the little side loops for the whipcord have been deleted by this time on all these.

Lift the dot fasteners would certainly be faster to attach than the web quick release setup.

Rob

Here is a Canadian manufactured example.

That's the nicest Canadian made example I've ever seen. For some reason most of the Canadian made examples I come across have faint markings and are used. Lots of mint British made pouches out there though.

I have a bag just like this too with lift the dot, I posted it on another forum and apparently an australian fellow told me these were for a camo version of gas mask? seems the haul is all in Canada though?

Will dig mine out and post photo's

https://servimg.com/view/17664855/12 This one has snap fasteners stamped United- Carr Canada. Unfortunately the stampings are faded away except for a 6 or 9. Cheers Brian

seems to be many variations on the same date

I managed to pick up mint Z.L.&T. 1943 marked light respirator bag a couple years back after years of searching and seeing thousands of British made examples. Even the strap is marked Z.L.&T. 1943. I might post a picture of it one day.

Thanks Ed S. for posting a picture of your M.S.& U. marked bag, I was surprised to see that the Montreal Suspender & Umbrella company made one as well.

I think I have three or four different Canadian manufacturers of these bags with ZL&T and MS&U being the most recognizable. Don't forget though that it was not uncommon for Canadians used British Lightweight Respirators and the Haversacks. I think the 1st Division drew theirs from UK stocks so they would have been British issue for Op HUSKY.

I believe the British manufactured Haversacks with the 'Lift-the-Dot' fastener originated a couple of decades ago from Australian sources. None appear to have been issued and I have yet to see a photograph of them in use.

I was at Ribtor in Calgary today and found a full box of 1952 dated light respirator pouches made by M.S.&U.. All of them were unused but poorly stored, any metal was rusted out.

As far as the LTD pouches, I noticed all the boxes had 1949 packing dates on the labels with Canadian military stamps.

This has a pull tab closure but since we are sharing.... S.S. Holden Ltd

The original bag posted is Australian MH&Co is Michaelis Halestein and Company, Australia adopted the lightweight masks in 1943 also, the bags are quite common but the masks are quite rare. Check under the press studs on the side pouches they should say CARR AUSTRALIA.

Cheers Luke.

Luke, that is good information. The confusing thing about these bags is that some had Carr Canada snaps and for whatever reason they are not stamped D/|\D. I have mine tagged as Australian although from my vantage I have, until now, always had a lingering doubt.

You have inspired me to go and dig mine out.

Just found this Aussie Medic bag with this stamp. Luke is correct.

here is my Light Gas Mask Pouch

Here is an other Canadian manufactured example