MkII Helmet , named and with desert finish

**4md** · 04-10-2012, 10:26 AM

Very nice find, i havnt seen many camo painted helmets around

**VolksJager** · 04-10-2012, 11:44 AM

Thanks Guys!

Mick you have given me quite good info here mate. As the stamps as quite hard to see/read I did the old paper over the top with the pencil to get the stamp to show up and its looks lik HS 448. This one might turn out to be a keeper. I have always enjoyed the helmet, I just dont collect allied stuff that much.

It does have quite a high dome on it as well, but I dont have much to compare it to at this stage. Also the rim is soldered/welded underneath the brim. Might have to make space with my Sten and Para lid now..

Do I say I bought it for $20 about 8 or so years ago....

Jason

**tinlid** · 04-10-2012, 05:05 PM

It looks like a MkI refurbed in 37/38, the only thing that's throwing me is the chin strap lug. Never seen a 1940 dated MkII lug before because the MkIII came out in Febuary 1939.

**Battery Command Post** · 04-10-2012, 05:21 PM

by tinlid

It looks like a MkI refurbed in 37/38, the only thing that's throwing me is the chin strap lug. Never seen a 1940 dated MkII lug before because the MkIII came out in Febuary 1939.

It's a fairly common Australian lug. I would suspect the conversion is much later than 1938, probably more like 1940 or 1941.

Rob

**Battery Command Post** · 04-10-2012, 05:40 PM

by VolksJager

I did the old paper over the top with the pencil to get the stamp to show up and its looks lik HS 448.

Also the rim is soldered/welded underneath the brim.

Taking these two facts into consideration I would say for sure it must be an Australian Mk I* Helmet.

I actually had no idea Australia ever did these conversions, so it might be quite rare. I would, however, have serious doubts that it would be used in a war zone. In the UK and Canada, where these conversions were also done, the MK I* helmets were home service only.

I would keep it, if it were mine

:

Rob

**tinlid** · 04-10-2012, 06:38 PM

I was thinking it was a Brit lid that's why I was confused by the date on the chin strap lug so thanks for pointing that out. If you look at pictures of the BEF in France in 39/40 you'll find that virtually every helmet is a MkI refurb.
Aaron

**Nitram** · 04-10-2012, 07:01 PM

How can you differentiate between a MK1 and a MK2 just by seeing the shell? Is the dome of the MK2 flatter on top?

Nitram

**tinlid** · 04-10-2012, 07:07 PM

The easiest way is to look at the brim, MkII's are the same width all the way round. The MkI's are all over the place, wide in some places & narrow in others. Plus there's the fixing nut for the liner.

**Nitram** · 04-10-2012, 07:09 PM

Thanks for the info. I meant if the liner was refurbished, how you could identify the shell itself from a distance, the rim being uneven is helpful bit of info.

Cheers,
Nitram

**Battery Command Post** · 04-10-2012, 07:45 PM

by tinlid

I was thinking it was a Brit lid that's why I was confused by the date on the chin strap lug so thanks for pointing that out. If you look at pictures of the BEF in France in 39/40 you'll find that virtually every helmet is a MkI refurb.
Aaron

You might well be right there, Aaron. There are certainly a few MkI*s in those pictures. The left hand one hanging from the train window is a I* with no rim, unless my eyes are going wierd. So British MkI*s were used for active service. I'm interested now in which units got them, as in support units or front line. The train men are RAMC, the dejected looking ones I can't tell, and I think the WS18 picture is a staged shot anyway.

Canadian MkI* production didn't start until 1940, and they were definitely only for Home Service units. These conversions were not only done on British shells, but also on stocks of US M1917 shells. I only have one example, converted from a rimless British War Office Pattern. In all about 26,000 helmets were converted.

Rob