Norfolk man finds fully intact Second World War gas mask while looking for driftwood

John Aldridge had been scouring the groynes at West Runton beach for driftwood, which he uses to make things.

A Norfolk man couldn't believe his luck when he found a fully intact Second World War gas mask while looking for driftwood on a Norfolk beach.

John Aldridge had been scouring the groynes at West Runton beach for driftwood, which he uses to make things.

Suddenly, he says, something sticking out of the groyne caught his attention: "I said, 'Oh look, there's a shoe!' I gave it a bit of a pull and thought, huh? This isn't a shoe; it's got two eyeholes and glass on it.

The inside of the gas mask.

"Suddenly I realised, oh my god, I think it's a Second World War gas mask. We got some reception on our phones and used Google Lens to identify it, and it was! It's the sort of find that makes the hairs on your arm stand up a bit."

Mr Aldridge says that further inspection of the mask gave away more details: "Stamped on the glass and on the rubber is 39, so I thought, 1939 - Second World War, it all makes sense."

Markings on the inside of the gas mask.

Mr Aldridge says that he initially thought that the rubber sticking out of the groyne was a flip-flop.

He explained: "I pulled at it and it came away in my hand. I thought, oh dear, someone's going to be upset; I'll put it back. But then I saw more of it and realised it was a gas mask. It was still in great condition; it wasn't covered in barnacles or anything."

He added: "I thought it would be nice to clean it up a bit and display it in my house. I've been able to polish it up a bit with a toothbrush to clean off some of the dirt and sand, and now it's proudly displayed on a shelf in my house."