Rolled edge British helmet

**emileverbunt** · 04-30-2016, 09:18 AM

This is my aluminium MkII clone. It was used by the Dutch CD in the post war years. They turn up regularly with the cheap Dutch liner. The green stripe indicates use by a medical unit of the BB (Bescherming Bevolking = Civil Defense).

I never received an identification of the producer. Probably British.

Cheers,
Emile

**tinlid** · 04-30-2016, 09:29 AM

Hi Greg, I think the last helmet you have shown is the same style of shell as your grey one, but has had an sorbo rubber liner instead of the Mk1/2 liner. Making it again cheaper to produce.
I think the helmets MC was referring to in Militaria Mag No.9 are these types. Mk2 No.2B & D.

**tinlid** · 04-30-2016, 11:02 AM

Emile, As far as I know your helmet is the same as Mine & Greg's, just used post war by the Dutch.
A bit like the civilian protective helmet (Zuckerman) & Mk2 helmet, & up graded with your own liner.
Here's another one, cheap as chips to produce I expect, no Mk2 liner, no nut & bolt, no chin strap lugs.

**Composite** · 04-30-2016, 03:05 PM

'Still trying to figure out the ol' circular/spun one too.....it's clearly produced differently but I fear it's simply yet another commercial variant private purchase helmet. I've seen them with and without liners although, as Greg points out, the strap is often the same (albeit a leather/canvas mutant)..... There's quite a large number of MkII-shaped private purchase helmets out there and the makers remain unknown.....

**FALLSCHIRMJAGER** · 04-30-2016, 04:09 PM

Interesting thread gents, I have nothing to add other than I too suspect that these are private purchase variants. Leon.

**Greg Pickersgill** · 04-30-2016, 06:07 PM

by tinlid

Hi Greg, I think the last helmet you have shown is the same style of shell as your grey one, but has had an sorbo rubber liner instead of the Mk1/2 liner. Making it again cheaper to produce.
I think the helmets MC was referring to in Militaria Mag No.9 are these types. Mk2 No.2B & D.

OK, Tinlid, can you confirm something I am not sure whether I am seeing properly. Your first helmet (with the sorbo strip liner) appears to be a stndard (almost ovoid rather than circular, Mk2 shell with an applied rim. Yes or no? And the second one, does that have a Dutch bend rim, but bent down (inside the rim so to speak) rather than up, outside towards the crown, as is the case with the helmets we started off with.

You might well be right in that these are the helmets Cotton refers to, as they are obviously more 'official' and Government product in that they use the standard shape shell. Which leaves us with the idea that the virtually circular ones are indeed PP.

Bloody hell, this is not easy to get straight.

PS, if Emile's is aluminium, its not identical, as the ones I have are definately steel of some stripe.

**tinlid** · 04-30-2016, 06:24 PM

Hi Greg, The one with the yellow sorbo has a proper rim, & the next one which has an Dutch bend, were added to show what I thought MC meant in his Militaria Mag article.
It would be good if Emile could be 100% sure his is aluminium, which if it is would definitely be different to our circular one. Just a coincidence it looks exactly the same.

**emileverbunt** · 05-02-2016, 08:51 AM

Hello Greg and tinlid,

My helmet is definitely made of aluminium. No doubt about it.

These helmets are not very rare in The Netherlands. I'll check other collectors.

Cheers,

Emile