Oh dear, Mr. Gruntpuddock, you've led a sheltered life!
I'm pretty sure Doctor Findlay's car would have had a metal housing containing a disposable filter element. (usually retained by a single, central bolt) Carton usually contained new rubber seals for the canister to seat on, seal for the central bolt and sometimes there would be a spring-loaded pressure-pad and seal to hold the element up to the fixed part of the housing.
the spin-on disposable cartridge, usually incorporating a blockage-bypass valve and an anti-draindown valve is a relatively recent introduction and there are a surprising number of vehicles in service which still use the element-type filter.
this Aircraft system would appear to be fundamentally the same, albeit with multiple elements.