Case, gas mask bag

This home-sewn bucket-shaped evening bag was made to carry a gas mask during the Second World War. It has a long strap so that it can be worn over the shoulder. It is made of rexine and the flap is trimmed with a narrow frill of black satin. It fastens with a strap and decorative metal buckle. The bag was and used by Marjorie Milne, a busineswoman from Brixton whose home was destroyed by a bomb during the war. Gas masks were issued in plain, bulky cardboard boxes. Marjorie made the bag so that her gas mask case would co-ordinate with her evening wear and also double as a handbag.