French ARS gas respirator

French ARS type gas mask fitted with a centrally mounted removable circular shaped filter unit. The entire respirator is finished in an overall khaki brown colour. Stamped in black ink on the left cheek is 'LrW239'. A pair of circular yellowed celluloid eyepieces are fitted, these are secured by khaki brown painted tin Dermatine sealant or a similar rubber base substitute. This material has been used to seal parts of the rubberised canvas mask. Elasticised bands of material secure the mask to the wearer, all but one of these bands is not stuck to the mask itself. Printed on this elasticised material in black ink is a series of vertical lines with what appears to be a pair of letters.

The base of the mask consists of a circular shaped piece of stamped metal with a larger 46 mm diameter screw aperture for fitting the removable filter. Situated to the rear of this aperture is a smaller opened aperture measuring 22 mm in diameter. Next to these apertures is stamped in black ink 'W.R. 295'. On the removable filter unit is stamped in blank ink ''W.R. [six pointed star motif[ N' and '305'. Both the base and bottom of the removable filter is fitted a metal mesh unit. The circular aperture on the removable filter unit measures 41 mm in diameter.

The Appareil Respiratoire Special (ARS) was based upon the successful German gas respirator. The ARS also appears to look very similar to the German gas respirator, with the distinctive chin mounted detachable filter unit. However it differed from the German respirator as the exhaled air did not pass through the chemicals in the container. The ARS gas mask was used by the French and their Colonial forces during the later stages of the First World War.