British MkV

[saxe1974]

Hi everyone,
I want to introduce my recent acquisition. It is a MkV "turtle shell" with signs of heavy use. It has a camouflage cover widely used in the years of activity and could be seen in action during the Falklands War.
Regards

[Opex]

Beautiful example with real character,great reference photo too,which sums up the struggle over the difficult terrain on the Falklands/Malvina's, thanks for showing

[saxe1974]

Thanks for your comment and mention the name Malvinas. Best regards.

[Mark K]

Nice Mk V but I am of the opinion the hessian was added for effect as it does not seem to match the patina on the helmet I would expect to see more staining and discoloration from the amount of rust showing through on the shell.

Regards Mark

[James C]

hello saxe ,and welcome to the forum ,thanks for showing your british turtle helmet ,from what i can see the internal surface has certainly been exposed to the elements ,can i ask how this helmet came into your possession ,best regards james

[saxe1974]

Hi Mark,
Thank you for your opinion. I read that this model of helmet was manufactured and distributed between 1956 and 1959 for use in the Force until the mid-80s. I think about the possibility that in those years this helmet in particular could have been reused and having been placed a new hessian in their last years of operation. But this may be a possibility in thousands.
Sorry for my English.
Regards.

[saxe1974]

Hi James
Thank you. I bought it to a Spanish collector. I asked about the origin of it, but just remember that it was purchased in a pawnshop in Oxford, over ten years ago. I honestly wanted to have a little more information. But hey, "you cannot have it all in this world"
Thanks and regards.

[Mark K]

Your english is fine and just an observation on my part and you are correct the hessian very well could have been replaced at any time a nice helmet all the same I have three of my own in my collection.

Regards Mark

[Alex W]

The helmet looks great and don't get me wrong, I would definitely own it and think it would display great but I tend to agree with Mark. That hessian and scrim looks almost brand new.

[James C]

hello saxe ,its always hard to make judgements on helmets by pictures alone ,having it in hand is the best for opinions but that isnt going to happen ,it might very well of started its life in the korean war for all we know and as you say refurbished through the years ,the netting certainly looks period ,as for the hessian it could be a latter addition as it shows little signs of aging i could be wrong but i reckon the camo scrim is more likely from an off cut used to disguise vehicles and field equiptment etc perhaps others have a different opinion ,thanks james