Mk2 / mk1* ID help please

[shaune]

Friends, i wondered if you could advise on this british helmet please...
I have had a good look over past threads, but could this be a mk1* helmet? Or early mk2?
It has a thick textured brownish exterior, and a smoother inside, the chin strap fixings are marked II 1939, and the liner is a Helmets Ltd 1939, which i've never seen before.. also wondering if it could possibley be a bef helmet?
Any thoughts really appreciated..thank you
Shaun

[BrodieBartfast]

Looks like a Mk2 to me, but I'm no helmet aficionado. I have a 1943-dated helmet that has a similar rough textured paint, and it appears to have been applied in the factory, as there's no sign of an underlying second coat.



My understanding is that early helmets were painted with a smooth green paint. Looking at your photos, it could have been painted in such a way, but has been discoloured by rust and general weathering in the intervening years.

The 1939 date could make it a BEF helmet, but without concrete provenance that would be nothing but hearsay and speculation. Many helmets made their way over to France perched on soldiers' heads in 1939. Comparatively few came back in 1940, as they were commonly dumped along with other cumbersome gear during the evacuation. One cannot rule out the possibility, but neither can it be one hundred percent confirmed.

Regards, B.B.

[tinlid]

It's a nice early helmet, but unless you have provenance, could have been used anywhere.
But the really nice thing is, the service number on the chin strap,Looks to be the Hussars.

[shaune]

Cool, thank you very much indeed gents. I think its a really nice army helmet... found in a loft n morcombe i believe, but thats all the info i have.
Tinlid, thank you for the hussars info. Fascinating. Do you think it is worth looking into further? Is 590027 a nmber from a batch issued to them in ww2?

[tinlid]

Yes, ww2 block number for the Hussars, but there were a number of different regiments in the Hussars.

[shaune]

Brilliant, so, could be the 10th Hussars then do you think id be able to find out which regiment it came from? Or is it tricky wihout a surname etc?
Thank you, Shaun

[JohnF]

The privacy is very tight on UK service records, so unless you are a relative you won't have any luck I believe in that respect,