Police to warden helmet

**paddy** · 11-22-2011, 06:09 PM

This green warden helmet on the left after sanding turned out to be a nice suprise.

**paddy** · 11-22-2011, 06:13 PM

It was an Irish warden helmet, but must have been an original police helmet first

**Vegard T** · 11-22-2011, 06:14 PM

Why would you sand it down?

**paddy** · 11-22-2011, 06:15 PM

Because i could just about notice the blue paint under the green and was curious

**tinlid** · 11-22-2011, 07:26 PM

How about the rescue one, any pics of the inside or dates?
Aaron

**Tinhat** · 11-22-2011, 07:32 PM

Is the Rescue helmet Irish, just curious I've not seen a blue one before, or a green Wardens helmet, it was a brave decision to sand it down.
Steve.

**paddy** · 11-22-2011, 08:57 PM

Yes Lads the rescue one was for Irish use it is marked JSS 1939 and also a 68 is on it, this must be for the size. I can start a thread on it with a few photos later. I am happy now that i did sand this green one, this time i got a good outcome , i am now 100% sure that it is an original police helmet, but not sure if British or Irish police, most probably British as we call our police Garda, here in Ireland, but i have sanded another German one in the past, and it had 3 colours, the last one being white, so it it now a very nice winter cammo.

**Tinhat** · 11-22-2011, 11:15 PM

You learn something new everyday...to be honest I hadn't thought about it, but I didn't realise that Ireland had ARP / CD services, would these be post war or wartime.
As you say they are most likely to be British issue repainted, but I wonder as the Police helmets were wartime issue in Britain, whether they were sold to Ireland as surplus afterwards.
Thanks, Steve.

**tinlid** · 11-23-2011, 01:19 PM

I saw a bit of a programe not long ago & it showed the bombing there & quite a few deaths. So the ARP were used/needed, there are quite a few WW2 British helmets that were used post war by the Irish army. They come up quite often on ebay.
Aaron

**paddy** · 11-23-2011, 08:10 PM

I would say that this police helmet was issued to the Irish police during the war, and it is most probable that, they used their own soft hats more regular while on the beat, and forwarded this helmet to the civil defence, due to the lack of need, afaik only two bombing raids were carried out within the 26 counties, Dublin and Wexford, i don't have any idea on the exact casualty list, but like Aaron points out their was a number of deaths, i heard that butter wrappings were found on British prisoners of war while in German custody, and that they were made and traced to Wexford, so the Germans hit the creamery in retaliation, killing one female worker, in a village called Campile.
Their was a much higher amount amount of casualties in the Northern raids, with people along the border lighting fires so as German pilots could know the occupied section of the Country

Just a point to note on that helmet posted by Aaron, i served in the same command areas the Southern, who use that flash on this helmet, yellow backround with a red arrow head, and it seems to be not very straight, i would say it is a poor attempt of immitation. No one would be allowed to wear the uniform with, even a badge sewn on incorrect, not to mention the area command flash being crooked