Do Brit Home Front helmets really count.......

[Composite]

....as Militaria?


This is question I've recently been asked.....and although my initial desire was to call the chap a Cad and a Bounder and demand satisfaction the following morning on the Green at 9.00 am with swords (for that is how we still sort disputes in the UK) his logic seemed flawless. They ARE civilian......they are NOT military...and therefore they can't be categorised as "Militaria" and in his view "therefore don't count" (as militaria presumably?). And yet the Blitz was one of the most intense battles, albeit with one side having war done TO or AT them without a direct response (from them at least). People drove trains and buses, made bread, sold shirts...that's not Militaria....but give 'em a helmet, ideally with something painted on the front, and all of a sudden they get into the club.

Now I don't like that blokes logic...especially if it means instant expulsion from the various History / Militaria forums......but are we freaks / leppers? are HF lids persona....errr.....helmetta non grata? are they simply tolerated with an accompanying "ah...bless" sigh?...and if we are to be banished to the wasteland what would a new HF Helmet-specific Forum be called?

[BrodieBartfast]

I think this is down to the term 'Militaria' being very vague and far-reaching. All sorts of things that are not strictly military are included in the collecting sphere, both on this forum and outside of it. If you wanted to be specific, you could say that these items were produced during a conflict for a conflict, and thus they are Militaria. There are also countless civilian items that were adapted/adopted for wartime purposes, such as blackout bulbs and covers, civilian gas masks, etc. Again, they are not military, but serve an in-conflict purpose and fall under the umbrella of what we amass as collectors.

Given that many civilian helmets were rejects and inferior copies from the factories that produced combat versions, I'd say they were more 'military' than almost anything else Home Front. Many military items were also adapted for civilian purposes, and vice-versa. It's such a broad spectrum, that defining things clearly is almost certainly impossible.

As a Home Front collector through and through, I'll continue to collect the 'militaria' relating to it for as long as I'm in the hobby. Definitions be damned!

B.B.

[Jerry B]

Mostly made during wartime for wartime services, therefore militaria Imo

[hog]

Talking of which is there a difinitive guide for the markings on helmets other than the limited one on the net ?

[Composite]

There'll never be a DIFINITIVE guide...I've catalogued over a thousand variants and yet still find a new one every week......

I've heard that a book is being worked on.........

[MAP]

Mostly made during wartime for wartime services, therefore militaria Imo

I agree with this. Part of the broader "organized" war effort.

The same logic could be said for all the German civil fire helmets. Now that would kick up a ruckus.

[real steel]

I agree with this. Part of the broader "organized" war effort.

The same logic could be said for all the German civil fire helmets. Now that would kick up a ruckus.

German civil helmets, NSKK, RAD, SA, SS garb pre-1940 I would consider "Para Military". Can we say a German helmet made 3 years before wartime in 1936 is not considered militaria because Germany was not in a full blown war yet ?

An interesting, debatable topic would be fun to discuss person to person (or persons).

[ruddersrangers44]

There's some right Bell ends out there......get right on my tits......

[MAP]

German civil helmets, NSKK, RAD, SA, SS garb pre-1940 I would consider "Para Military". Can we say a German helmet made 3 years before wartime in 1936 is not considered militaria because Germany was not in a full blown war yet ?

An interesting, debatable topic would be fun to discuss person to person (or persons).

I generally agree with you. Maybe a poor choice of wording on my part. For Germany, once the NSDAP took power it was an all out transformation and rearmament so I would consider all of the groups noted above to be "militaria". For other countries, it would be the same as well. (sticking to the topic of British HF helmets )

This topic would require a bottle of Whiskey with a bunch of people around the table. Would be a fun night.

[MAP]

There's some right Bell ends out there......get right on my tits......

LoL Jake...I have NO idea what that means....but assume it means there are some wacko's out there that annoy you...