British Mk 5 turtle with a twist

[James C]

Just picked up this Turtle locally today as a collection only sale ,popped a few quid of diesel in the motor and away to go as it was a mere 20 mins drive down the road for this hessian covered /netted and scrimmed MK5 ,the mk4 chinstrap caught my eye so thought worth adding to the collection ,the spider liner and liner sock are dated 1979 ,not sure if the envelope sticker on the spider frame has any significance ? the later doughnut frame is dated 1982 ,the shell hints a what i believe is dark brown paintwork in natural daylight allthough with the camera flash looks dark green and lifting a section of the rim show a textured paintwork ,with my eyes the lift the dot spike has been retro fitted to the shell but could be wrong ,i have tried my best to take a picture of the maker stamp but it has proved difficult even after a mild clean . any information would be superb gentlemen
Thanks James

[Composite]

From Mold I wonder????.......'bit too far for me....but thought about it too. I really like these scrimmed-up Cold War classics.....well done James.....'more floor space lost...... ;-)

[NCA]

Lovely Helmet with bags of character. Just like some you see in old Falklands pics.

Looking at your last pic it looks to me like MK IV? does it have an indent on the top where the LTD is fixed?

[James C]

Just a bit far for you Ade for collection only I too cant resist a scrimmed up Brit turtle and put it on display next to It's brother from another mother

[James C]

Lovely Helmet with bags of character. Just like some you see in old Falklands pics.

Looking at your last pic it looks to me like MK IV? does it have an indent on the top where the LTD is fixed?

Thank you NCA it has the lower chinstrap fixings so is a MKIV so is the final production type but I'm wondering if it could be an earlier mkIV shell from the mid 1940's if only i could make out the stamping

[ynot]

A nice addition James but what's the difference between a MKIV and MKV, is it the liner only?

I'm 99.9% sure I had a MKIII back in the 80s because the chinstrap was uncomfortable and appeared to be positioned different to the others although I never checked why, just found the whole set up uncomfortable especially the hardened cross padding in the dome.

[Mark K]

Hi James a lovely addition to the collection indeed of an under appreciated helmet IMO they had such a long service life in the Military...
I have seen a couple of other examples over the years that either look to have been retro fitted and or repaired with what would appear to have been a new peg added as they were slightly different from the norm..I wonder if this was done at a MOD depot and then returned to service and reissued I have a couple of these heavily scrimmed examples in my own collection one of which has a rather ersatz lift the dot fastener snap that is anything but stock they are amongst my favourites and display handsomely I might add..

Regards Mark

[James C]

Mark Many thanks for the appreciation and commenting too and glad you on the same wavelength when it comes to collecting these scrimmed turtles i I have a great fondness for this type amongst many other British helmets and a shame they don't generate as much interest
I have seen examples of this type used during "The Troubles " and the Falklands conflict ,the background history of this helmet was quite sketchy but would like to think it saw use in one of the former mentioned
I would glady add your fine example to my collection and would like to thank you for sharing for comparrison your example and i love the ersatz modification ,Perhaps i am fantasising a little here but wonder if it was from an american webbing cartridge belt
Regards James

[Mark K]

Thanx James I have never been able to find an exact match to the snap/fastener in question and have looked at a fair bit of British and American kit for a comparable but in all honesty have not given it the research time that I probably should I even started to look toward some Argentinian kit to see if I could find a match my congratulation by the way as I think it was well worth the drive to pick up your new helm...

Regards Mark

[James C]

A nice addition James but what's the difference between a MKIV and MKV, is it the liner only?

I'm 99.9% sure I had a MKIII back in the 80s because the chinstrap was uncomfortable and appeared to be positioned different to the others although I never checked why, just found the whole set up uncomfortable especially the hardened cross padding in the dome.

Many thanks Tony and very interesting to hear your helmet was an earlier variant during your time in service I believe you are correct ,but i am no expert on these but know the liner with the nylon sock makes a mk4 shell in this configuration a mk5