England's Gas Mask For Babies Gets First Demonstration - The British Government's new gas mask for children under two years of age - technically known as the "baby helmet" - was demonstrated for the first time on babies, by local mothers, at Holborn Town Hall, London. One million two hundred thousand babies are to receive the helmets. The apparatus is shaped like a diver's helmet. A mother can slip it over her child's head and shoulders and strap it firmly around the chest so that the headpiece is sealed from air. A window is provided so that the child's face can be seen. March 20, 1939. (Photo by ACME).