need help with id on this helmet

**crazy horse** · 01-31-2011, 07:22 AM

hope this works. I know it's stamped CWS inside the brim & dated 1941, the liner is rubber & has mkII 1942 on the liner band, but it's the I D on the side that is a new one on me, it has some torn spots, but I found a seller on ebay who has a brass helmet badge, but it's a little expensive for me. just hope this pic shows up ok.

actually the helmet is green, it just showed up gold in pic, also I took off that piece of paper on the top

**crazy horse** · 01-31-2011, 08:37 AM

anybody? I would appreciate the help on the I D. it has a bugle in the middle & says rifle brigade & on the bottom it says the prince consorts own? I picked it up for $ 40.00 U.S., thanks for any help.

**Patgore** · 01-31-2011, 03:20 PM

You have a good dated British WW2 Mark II helmet.

I don't know the maker CWS (Cooperative Wholesale Society....never heard of them making helmets).

The decal is Rifle Brigade, which was not a brigade but a regiment of the British Army. Rifle regiments are elite units.

Metal badges were not supposed to go on helmets....making holes weakened the integrity of the helmet, or something like that, so there is no such thing as a legal official helmet badge. Maybe for tropical/pith helmets, but not Mark IIs. The vendot is having a little fun. Stay away.

It looks like a nice helmet. Good buy at $40. Badged helmets can go a lot higher.

Congrats.

Pat

**crazy horse** · 01-31-2011, 07:58 PM

by Patgore

You have a good dated British WW2 Mark II helmet.

I don't know the maker CWS (Cooperative Wholesale Society....never heard of them making helmets).

The decal is Rifle Brigade, which was not a brigade but a regiment of the British Army. Rifle regiments are elite units.

Metal badges were not supposed to go on helmets....making holes weakened the integrity of the helmet, or something like that, so there is no such thing as a legal official helmet badge. Maybe for tropical/pith helmets, but not Mark IIs. The vendot is having a little fun. Stay away.

It looks like a nice helmet. Good buy at $40. Badged helmets can go a lot higher.

Congrats.

Pat

sorry it was CSW, the brass badge I think went to an older type headgear, it had WATERLOO on top under a crown, my decal has the crown torn off & waterloo is missing also, plus mine said South Africa on the left side in the scroll work, his badge didn't. he said his badge was from 1800-1891? I'm confused, but it's sort of hard to find really good & older British militeria here. I have a blazer patch that has a black cloth background with a skull & crossed bones, with a banner draped over the bones that say- OR GLORY- I think it was the 17th/ 21st lancers? I forgot now, but Jimpy knows about it. anyway thanks PAT I appreciate your help. I just had a feeling that I was getting a decent deal on this lid, thanks again, oh no my lid doesn't have a badge on it, just the decal, a guy in Australia was selling the badge for might as well say $200.00 U.S.
Marty

**davejb** · 01-31-2011, 08:44 PM

The different countries you see printed are battle honours,ie where the Rgt/Battalion fought in the past

**Adrian Stevenson** · 01-31-2011, 09:21 PM

Hi Marty, it is a nice lid. Decaled helmets don't come up for sale too often.

Cheers, Ade.

**tinlid** · 01-31-2011, 09:50 PM

Any chance of some pics of the inside when you get time.
Nice looking lid

Aaron

**Patgore** · 01-31-2011, 11:06 PM

Hi, Marty:

If it was G.S.W. it would be General Steel Wares, a major Canadian Mark II contractor. Quite posssible to find a British decal on a Canadian shell.

The brass badge you're talking about (pic?) might be a shako or Victorian helmet plate. Not at all the sort of thing you'd find associated with a WW2 "tin hat".

Any badge to a regiment that had "South Africa" as a battle honor, but does not list SA, probably dates pre-1900. Battle honors (on badges that displayed them) are a clue to age, but some regiments simply had far too many honors to put them all on the badge, so this is just an indicator.

I can't recall any earlier SA battle honors. The Brits certainly don't like talking about the First Boer War (1881).

$200 isn't excessive for a good Victorian helmet plate, but know what you're getting. I'll help research if I can but so many badges are similar with overlapping battle honors that I'd really need a pic to start.

The 17th (later 17th/21st) were the "Death of Glory Boys". I think they stole the badge from some German outfit.

Cheers,

Pat

And good early militaria is scare/costly (and faked) everywhere.

The Brits fought

**crazy horse** · 02-01-2011, 03:47 PM

by Patgore

Hi, Marty:

If it was G.S.W. it would be General Steel Wares, a major Canadian Mark II contractor. Quite posssible to find a British decal on a Canadian shell.

The brass badge you're talking about (pic?) might be a shako or Victorian helmet plate. Not at all the sort of thing you'd find associated with a WW2 "tin hat".

Any badge to a regiment that had "South Africa" as a battle honor, but does not list SA, probably dates pre-1900. Battle honors (on badges that displayed them) are a clue to age, but some regiments simply had far too many honors to put them all on the badge, so this is just an indicator.

I can't recall any earlier SA battle honors. The Brits certainly don't like talking about the First Boer War (1881).

$200 isn't excessive for a good Victorian helmet plate, but know what you're getting. I'll help research if I can but so many badges are similar with overlapping battle honors that I'd really need a pic to start.

The 17th (later 17th/21st) were the "Death of Glory Boys". I think they stole the badge from some German outfit.

Cheers,

Pat

And good early militaria is scare/costly (and faked) everywhere.

The Brits fought

it might say G S W, the helmet has been painted inside & out with a brush, but whoever painted it did a good job, I think I may have a pic of the inside, but it's not a close up if I recall. I will try to get it to load up. yes I know the Brits fought, they owned most of the world for a long time, I am a little over half American Indian, but my last name is British- Simpson. I will try to find the inside pic, never seen a rubber liner like it has & it is brittle so I dont mess with it much. should I try to put something on the rubber? I'm thinking I should just let it be.I have bought a chin strap & put it in since. besides South Africa, it has Afghainistan, Ashatee, a couple more I can't read & some are torn off, or scraped up.