Mk I / MkII Red Cross Helmet

[Tinhat]

This is Mk I Brodie I picked up in Glasgow flea market about 30 years ago, the helmet, (marked MLS 33) is refitted with a MkII 1940 Vero liner. It has a British Red Cross Society badge hand painted on the from which I believe was done WWI period.

My guess is that whoever used in it WWI would have used it again as part of the ARP service in WWII.

The strap has been sewn on to the original bails and one of the rivets replaced, The liner retaining screw is the wrong way round, but I didn't want to tamper with it.
Steve.

[Battery Command Post]

Nice helmet

It's an interesting one too. I've never seen one quite like that before, with the old WWI chinstrap lugs being used with WWII liner and strap. The official MkI* conversion involved new chinstrap lugs. It could be a personal 'unofficial' conversion, in order to use the existing shell, as you suggest.

Rob

[tinlid]

Nice looking helmet

[Walkwolf]

Agreed. Tinhat, it is a very nice helmet.........!

[moaning minnie]

in 1936 a new liner was designed known as the vero liner these first production liners were fitted to ww1 shells as the mk2 shell had not been designed yet,as the good gentleman pointed out these conversions included new chinstrap lugs and the elastic chinstrap so the fact you have a ww1 shell with original split pin lugs and a mk2 liner would suggest a non m.o.d configuration and instead a d.i.y job.hope this has helped dave

[Tinhat]

I've always believed it to be a DIY job, maybe becuase the MkI strap broke, but we'll never know. Thanks for the input gents, I like the helmet becuase the badge is an unusual and I'd much rather leave it as it is than mess with.
Steve.

[aussie mick]

I love it,
I had a chance to get a similar one a few weeks ago (Aussie,without the writing around the cross)
But these Red Cross helmets are not very well documented,so i chickened out,wish i had of got it now.
Mick