• Civil Defence workers needed to have the right equipment to protect themselves during air raids. Before the war poisonous gas attacks seemed likely, so this included clothing to protect people from the harmful effects of gas. All ARP (Air Raid Precautions) training courses included sections on this equipment.

There were three different types of gas mask:

• General Service Respirators: this went to all members of the armed forces. It was more effective than the other types as it had a larger face piece and a better filter

• Civilian Duty Respirators: these went to all members of the Civil Defence services. The filter was attached to the face piece instead of being connected by a tube

• Civilian Respirators: these were for the general public. They had a rubber face piece with a see-through window, and a container at the front that filtered gas. There were versions for children and babies.

• A lot of emphasis was on protecting your gas mask. People were told to store them in a cool place and to wipe them after use. The window in the mask could cloud up when you were wearing it, so people used to rub it with wet soap to stop this.

• During ARP training, people had to do gas mask drills to make sure they could get their gas masks on and off quickly.

• Gas also affects the skin so protective clothing was designed. The full outfit included an oilskin jacket, trousers, hood and gloves, and rubber boots. The oilskin was material treated with oil to make it waterproof.

• Finally, Civil Defence workers needed to be easily identifiable, to special badges were made for them to wear.