Article about: Hello, I bought a Canadian helmet the other day and have just noticed it has some kind of insignia painted to the front of it. The helmet hasn't arrived yet so maybe the pic doesn't show eno
I bought a Canadian helmet the other day and have just noticed it has some kind of insignia painted to the front of it. The helmet hasn't arrived yet so maybe the pic doesn't show enough detail but has anyone seen anything like it before? Civilian organisation, army or something someone's painted on sometime since the 40s?
Can't really make it out but looks like a 111 in a circle within a circle, so post some close up pics when it arrives Tony. It always amazes me to see helmets with paint splashes on them, I'm starting to think people wear them to paint ceilings to keep paint from getting in their hair
Hi Tony, a nice helmet, I cannot help you with the marking unfortunately, but it does resemble the Ferdinand Weidman makers mark on Third Reich awards!!! ( I know it is not going to be that before I get abuse!!) Leon.
Hi Tony, a nice helmet, I cannot help you with the marking unfortunately, but it does resemble the Ferdinand Weidman makers mark on Third Reich awards!!! ( I know it is not going to be that before I get abuse!!) Leon.
Ha ha, used by Germans infiltrating the CEF?
So, it has just arrived - my first buy of the year.
This helmet has everything you need to be sure it’s a Canadian MKII. The brim is stamped C/LC, the liner has all the correct markings and the inside of the shell has the Canadian acceptance mark. The liner is a little dry and needs some tlc but that shouldn’t be a problem. The liner bands are dated 1940 however, the liner has wire clips holding the buffers in place indicating it was assembled post July 1941 (thanks to Mark’s Canadian MKII thread for that detail).
I’m not sure if the chinstrap is Canadian manufacture, the brass loops are smaller than those on a Brit helmet and the khaki material has a slightly different weave too.
Does anyone have suggestions about removing the spots of paint? Now it’s arrived there are far more on it than were visible in the photos I saw, but I got it for less than I was willing to pay so won’t moan.
As for the insignia, it’s quite faint, on the front instead of the side and I reckon easily overlooked in the wrong light. It looks like it’s been there a very long time, longer than the white spots of paint anyway and I’ve tried to draw it, hopefully making an ID possible. The outer circle appears to be dark blue rather than black and the next circle is orange/red (yellow in my sketch) with the inner being the helmet colour. I think it’s fair to say I’m not an artist Here’s hoping it’s not a post war Dutch or Belgian tram conductor’s helmet.
That's what I was thinking too, perhaps an aeroplane parts manufacturer with the bit that's possibly a wing. I found something similar to the Irish army but with FF in the centre.
If I'm honest I was hoping it might have something to do with 111 Sqn. RCAF but the colours are all wrong.
Been searching the web and found a cloth badge for the Royal Canadian Air Force - Observer. It has no numbers in it but look at the similarities of yours to the cloth badge. Maybe worth looking this up. Here is a link to the website Royal Canadian Air Force - Observer
It's the similarities that made me thing RCAF too but the blue and red colours got me thinking Belgian but they're also incorrect. Jerry mentioned a factory employee which is likely, more than likely making it impossible to ID.
With a bit of luck someone will come along and let us know what it is but for the time being if anyone knows how to remove the white spots without damaging the original paint, please let me know.
Bookmarks