The impact of the German bombing of London from 1940 to 1941, which killed more than 40,000 civilians, was felt here in Australia as well. By 1941 wartime emergency settings were in place and anti-gas suits and respirators were needed, not just for firefighters, but also for decontamination and demolition squads. The three men in this image at Sydney’s Fire Brigade headquarters are wearing Proto breathing headgear with rebreathing bags in front and oxygen cylinders on their backs.