n.h.s.r mkiv turtle

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

Me again, I was wrong, it is the National Hospital Service Reserve and here's an armband to prove it! Leon.

[James C]

not to worry leon ,its a very valid question and i can see why it would be interpreted that way ,if im honest i thought the very same

[edelweiss123]

Hi James,

Here a few photos of two of my national hospital service reserve items. We have a MK2 NHSR helmet which is quite interesting. I believe that the national hospital service reserve was in operation from 1946 - 1968.

Cheers

[Spitace41]

Looks amazing with the others James. I also like how you have displayed the beret. I would have kept it myself but i already have a MK2 NHSR, so you know, space and all that

[James C]

thanks for posting your related items vicky you have a very nice collection there thanks also for the nice compliment james i reckon the humble turtle displays really well when elevated ,id be really interested to see your mk11 nhsr ,forgive me if you have already started a thread,thanks james

[Spitace41]

Here are a couple of pics of my MK2 NHSR. Shell is BMB 1940 and liner is 50s dated. Personally I have only seen two of these, both of which I purchased, although I sold the other and now regret it a bit. But i'm sure they are around. Its marked NHSR on the back and the front.

[James C]

very nice james ,thanks for showing what must be quite a rare helmet

[Simonk]

I realise I'm posting to an old thread.

Interesting stuff about the NHSR. I also thought it was National Health Service Reserve.

I picked a MKII version from a second had shop in the 1980's for about £4. I couldn't find any information about it at the time. I remember it was hand painted white gloss on the outside only. I don't think the lettering was applied with a stencil but could be wrong. I can't remember what the original darker colour on the inside was. It had one of the newer type of elasticated chin straps and I'm pretty sure the liner was dated from the 1950's.

I never managed to find any photograph of someone wearing a MKII version so it was very interesting to see the original photo of the MKIV in use.

The only surviving photo I could find was a low resolution picture I took in the 1980's when it was on display in my bedroom. I've cropped just the helmet from a larger photo which is why it's so poor. Shame I didn't have a better camera and take more photos of my collection then. I sold it in the late 1980's when we moved house. I wonder where it ended up.

[Simonk]

I managed to find a better photo. Seems I did take a few more pictures, albeit taken with a not too good 35mm auto focus camera.



Also a bit of nostalgia here seeing my old collection from the 1980's. The US helmet had a rather unique cover with the words "Pain, pain love that pain" handwritten on it in some kind of black crayon/oil - It was authentic and wish I'd kept even just the cover. The shell and liner were pretty beaten up. Also my Danish helmet there which I picked up in a militaria shop in Copenhagen in the 1980's. Top left was my South African desert issue MKII which I bought at an airshow in the 1980's for £14 and sold it for £150 around 2007. Second row from the top on the far left was my MKII with a 1950's dated liner and distinctive brown texture paint refurb. The MKII warden helmet was a nice original too. It all went following a house move - oh well!

[Composite]

...there’s a whole book about these things out there nowadays....... :-)

.....just saying.....