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How to Fit a Gas Mask

Matter-of-fact wartime instruction in how to fit your gas mask efficiently - leaving no margin for error.

Public Information Filler 1939 2 mins

Overview

This no-nonsense public information film imparts a direct message from the government about something that affected everybody's daily life in wartime - how to wear a gas mask correctly and the need to always have it with you. Precise instructions are imparted in a necessarily urgent manner, with no room for frills. 'Fillers' like this were used to plug holes in the cinema programme and were originally created by the Ministry of Information to quickly spread knowledge, civil defence intelligence or policies to the cinema-going public.

This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.

Subjects