WWII British Mk VII Gas Mask Bag~any experts here?

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

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Hey guys~not gun related...but it IS the piece of military surplus I've used almost daily for most of my life. lol Back in 1977 when my grandfather passed away (Born in England) I was going through his fishing stuff wondering what I might be able to talk my grandmother into letting me use...and I found this cool/small shoulder bag. I used it all the time, for everything..always kept it handy. Never gave an ounce of thought as to what exactly it was, how old, etc...I just liked the rustic, well-worn look of it. Well, as time went on...it started to wear out, I started to repair it, and kept it in "service". Worried that eventually, I wouldn't be able to use it I started some Google work a few years ago and discovered what it was. I ultimately tracked-down a second, nearly new condition one and bought it. Almost identical, save for a few minor details. The only thing that was a slight disappointment was that the shoulder strap on the new one was significantly shorter than the one I'd been using forever. Some more Google work in the last few days suggests that several companies made these..so I don't know if the spec was different, the requirements tweaked~no idea. Which has prompted this question~is anyone else here a fan of these shoulder bags? Anyone have one, or more of them? Do you use them? I've always found the size ideal for fishing/hunting/shooting. Even the partitions inside make for a handy spot to put a water bottle, documents, small tools, etc. I'd be curious to know how the gas masks were put in these, or some explanation for the design.

Thanks for taking a moment to reply, I suppose I could/should take a photo of the old and new-condition bags I have and add to this. If anyone is interested, I will.
 
.22LRGUY said:
Hey guys~not gun related...but it IS the piece of military surplus I've used almost daily for most of my life. lol Back in 1977 when my grandfather passed away (Born in England) I was going through his fishing stuff wondering what I might be able to talk my grandmother into letting me use...and I found this cool/small shoulder bag. I used it all the time, for everything..always kept it handy. Never gave an ounce of thought as to what exactly it was, how old, etc...I just liked the rustic, well-worn look of it. Well, as time went on...it started to wear out, I started to repair it, and kept it in "service". Worried that eventually, I wouldn't be able to use it I started some Google work a few years ago and discovered what it was. I ultimately tracked-down a second, nearly new condition one and bought it. Almost identical, save for a few minor details. The only thing that was a slight disappointment was that the shoulder strap on the new one was significantly shorter than the one I'd been using forever. Some more Google work in the last few days suggests that several companies made these..so I don't know if the spec was different, the requirements tweaked~no idea. Which has prompted this question~is anyone else here a fan of these shoulder bags? Anyone have one, or more of them? Do you use them? I've always found the size ideal for fishing/hunting/shooting. Even the partitions inside make for a handy spot to put a water bottle, documents, small tools, etc. I'd be curious to know how the gas masks were put in these, or some explanation for the design.

Thanks for taking a moment to reply, I suppose I could/should take a photo of the old and new-condition bags I have and add to this. If anyone is interested, I will.
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It is not a "shoulder bag" (A la Indiana Jones) the strap goes around the back of the neck so the bag is held at the front of your chest then secured there with a cord that would be secured to the small disk like piece on the opposite side of the bag. This way the mask was readily accessible and easy to don when under gas attack .They are early war and still fairly common.
 
XRCD011 said:
It is not a "shoulder bag" (A la Indiana Jones) the strap goes around the back of the neck so the bag is held at the front of your chest then secured there with a cord that would be secured to the small disk like piece on the opposite side of the bag. This way the mask was readily accessible and easy to don when under gas attack .They are early war and still fairly common.
Click to expand...

I am Harrison Ford...so mine IS a shoulder bag. lol Thanks for the reply XRCD011~didn't know that's how it was used. Glad I posted! I did discover a while back that this bag IS the one that the Indiana Jones character carried, only that for the movie..a leather sling was added. On both of my bags, the string is there...tucked into that small area at the bottom of the sides. Neither have the disk. One has nothing (the newer one) but the original, worn-out, nearly white one has a small wire ring riveted on the side opposite the string. Might have been the base for that disk...not sure. I only saw bags with that disk in place when searching online.

Still, wondering why the slings/straps are different lengths on these two bags. Time/stretching? Otherwise, the brass hardware seems to be the same.

If anyone knows of a Canadian source for these, please advise. Thanks!
 
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Way back in the late 50's these respirator bags were sold as fishing creels for about $1.29 each. Usually the strap was cut and a piece of light webbing strap sewn to it, thus extending it to a longer strap for over the shoulder use. Many of small trout had a ride back home with me in one.
 
Thanks for the photo Rocklin!

buffdog said:
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Way back in the late 50's these respirator bags were sold as fishing creels for about $1.29 each. Usually the strap was cut and a piece of light webbing strap sewn to it, thus extending it to a longer strap for over the shoulder use. Many of small trout had a ride back home with me in one.
Click to expand...

^That's interesting... My grandfather was born in England, but moved to Canada as a young boy. I often wondered if it had come with him.. Reading this ^ I'm mindful of how avid an angler/fisherman he was..and wonder now if that's how it came to be. I'll never know, but who'd have thought a pc. of canvas would ever mean so much to me. One of the few things I own with a tremendous amount of sentimental value.
 
We bought these cheap in the 60's and used them as lunch bags for school and hikes. The strap allowed them to be used as shoulder bags but we preferred to "look like real men" lol and flip them so they turned into somewhat tight mini back packs on our junior sized bodies. They were well made a took a beating and we had them for years! Ah the good old days.
 
Geoman said:
We bought these cheap in the 60's and used them as lunch bags for school and hikes. The strap allowed them to be used as shoulder bags but we preferred to "look like real men" lol and flip them so they turned into somewhat tight mini back packs on our junior sized bodies. They were well made a took a beating and we had them for years! Ah the good old days.
Click to expand...

May have been how this was used, I took possession of it in/around 1977...and remember it being well-used/sun-faded then. It's basically white now! lol

Might be time for some photos.. :)
 
These were universal at one time - most everybody who came cycling out of the aircraft factory here at end-of-shift carried their lunch in one of these things.
 
I packed one hitching across Africa in '72 when I was 18 as a camera - what-not bag.
 
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