Pair of paratroopers helmet from the Falklands War

[David101st]

I wondered if anybody on the forum could maybe help me out id these lids. Both came with no provenience, but they seemed to have seen some heavy duty so might have actually been deployed to the conflict in 82.

Both have some sort of ID on them. The argentinian liner reads: Ten Bla. Ten i think stands for tenente (lieutenant), Bla - I suppose was the beginning fo his last name, like Blanco. I read somewhere there was only 1 argentinian paratroopers unit in the islands so that might help narrowing down the research

I haven't uploaded a picture of the british id, cause it was under the cover (made out of a hood) and i do not want to take the helmet apart again. Anyway it read "Craswell 7892 3 L I " I hoped to find anything I could relate to either the 2nd or 3rd battalion but that kind of puzzled me. Maybe someone in here knows how to interpret an serial number for the parachute battalion.


The British para is the model people tend to refer to as M76, or simply GRP (Glass Reinforced Parachute). It has the correct white leather sweatband as used on helmet in 82 and it's scrimmed up with bits and shreds of burlap, towels and shirt cloth. The chinstrap is the older para version, sometimes used in place of the vinyl chisntrap, that was apparently unpopular and was discontinued some time after the conflict.

The Argentine helmet is a locally made para version and is camouflaged with an actual cover instead of a hood. The inside of the steel shell is plastered with some sort of hardened white material. I read the under the rim is supposed to be the FM (fabricaciones militare) but I can't see any marking on mine.

[Watchdog]

Both helmets look ok in these pics though I can't say much about the Argentine helmet.
As for the British helmet the abbreviation 3LI stands for 3rd Battalion The Light Infantry. Not an airborne unit and did not serve in the Falklands during Op Corporate (the actual conflict). 3LI became 2LI when 1LI was disbanded in 1990 (if I recall correctly) and subsequently became 3Rifles (3rd Battalion The Rifles) when The Rifles was formed in 2007 from The Light Infantry, The Royal Green Jackets, The Devon and Dorset LI and the Royal Gloucester, Berkshire and Wiltshire LI. It is not unheard of for a non-airborne soldier to acquire a para helmet so this marking at least shows use post Falkands by a non airborne soldier (even if he was not the first user). The numbers 7892 would simply be the last four digits of the soldiers' regimental or service number.

The main airborne units on Op Corporate were 2Para and 3Para although there were other airborne support troops. Even with such attribution it is not possible to say this is a "Falklands para helmet" without solid provenance.

GRP by the way stands for Glass Reinforced Plastic or "fibreglass" which is not what these helmets are made of. I think the correct designation of this material is "Ballistic nylon".

I hope this helps.

Regards

Mark

[Jerry B]

From the not bery clear pics of the underside of the uk para, I cant see the liner, but the chinstrap appeRs to be the later version used as issued on the later versions of the para m76. There are usually dated stickers unserthe liner and the early examples have smooth shiny exteriors. No idea on the argie lid

[Watchdog]

From the not bery clear pics of the underside of the uk para, I cant see the liner, but the chinstrap appeRs to be the later version used as issued on the later versions of the para m76. There are usually dated stickers unserthe liner and the early examples have smooth shiny exteriors. No idea on the argie lid

Yep I agree about the chin strap but the webbing type were used by 1982 and I thought I could see a hint of the light coloured pads. You are of course right about the finish and if this is not the smooth green finish it is not a Falklands helmet.

Regards

Mark

[David101st]

Thank you all for the replies!

I have uploaded some more pictures of the uk para, and in doing so I lifted the cover in front (I have previously only lifted the rear flaps to get the 3LI Id) and another of what seems an id came out: D/MAJ stenciled in black on the shell.

Could those be the initians of a different owner?

[David101st]

Here is the front picture. The paint looks to be the smooth finish too.

[David101st]

no more comments anybody?

[danish]

Hi David, I can't comment more on the British helmet than what already has been said. About the argie helmet, I have checked the data base of veterans (Veteranos Guerra de Malvinas | MINDEF) there is no matching name either starting with "TEN" or with "BLA" making sense of the rest.
During the Falklands war I understand that Argentina kept their paras as a reserve force in Comodoro Rivadavia (a military base in the continent), this was the IV Brigada de Infantería Aerotransportada.
The only air-transported unit that saw action in the Falklands was the Grupo de Artillería Paracaidista 4 "GA Parac 4" (artillery) based in Stanley and Goose Green.
There were para helmets used in the islands but the mismatch in the name could mean that the name label was written by a conscript (a soldier doing his time in the compulsory military service) from maybe 1960 or 1961 (to the Falklands, Argentina called the ones born in 1962 and 1963). Again, there are cases of helmets used in the islands that were written with something like "Blanco S/C 61" which means Blanco Soldado Conscripto 1961. Not all written helmets mean they were written by the soldier in a particular war.
More photos will be welcome