WW2 British Airborne helmet?

[Broadarrow1945]

Hello , I would like information ( comments, thoughts, consensus ), from the members of the Forum, on what I think is a WW2 British Airborne helmet. These get a little complicated. Any and all replies would be greatly appreciated.

[Willmore]

Hello , I would like information ( comments, thoughts, consensus ), from the members of the Forum, on what I think is a WW2 British Airborne helmet. These get a little complicated. Any and all replies would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there.

Here is a handy visual guide on how to upload your photos -

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Kind regards,

Will.

[Broadarrow1945]

thanks Will, glad to be a member.

[Martin Bull]

Looks to be, or is very similar to,a later Mk III (1944 -on ) helmet with webbing/leather chin cup. The screw on the left side has been removed or replaced. To be definitive,there should be a makers mark and date on the leather liner on the left side, just behind where the screw is. However,this is an area subject to wear and tear which canobscure or eradicate the marks.

I'ma little nervous with these as there's now a 'cottage industry' in altering post-war and despatch-rider helmets and passing them as 'airborne'. Hopefully more expert folk here willknow more......

Oh - and welcome to the Forum !

[Jerry B]

as already said, check the liner for makers marks & dates if any are visible, the inside of the shell might be marked as well

[tinlid]

Going by the smooth paint, most likely 60's or 70's dated. Or recently painted.

[Broadarrow1945]

Just saw this , researching. Wartime smooth paint finish example at the Imperial War Museum. Like mk2 ' Brody ' helmets ( early, late ).Search | Imperial War Museums

[Watchdog]

Just saw this , researching. Wartime smooth paint finish example at the Imperial War Museum. Like mk2 ' Brody ' helmets ( early, late ).Search | Imperial War Museums

In my opinion the issue here is not the smooth finish of the paint but the condition of it and the fact that the liner screw shown is unpainted. These helmets would have been re- painted many times during their service life (I know, I was that soldier!). The helmet liner certainly looks OK but remember that the chin strap assembly was a "service part" that was often replaced in use so could equally have been replaced by a collector. Not really a red flag to my mind. What is a concern regarding authenticity is that as mentioned above, the same basic shell albeit with differently placed screw holes was used for the HSRAC and despatch rider helmets and are often "re-jigged" by unscrupulous seller so that needs close investigation.

Many collectors believe that all HSAT post 1944 were not marked in the liner. This is simply untrue. Some were some were not.

The helmet pictured here is my own which I wore in service as late as 1977. You can clearly see that it has been re-painted more than once and the liner is marked CWS 7 7/8 1972 with a broad arrow.

As I say, the issue with the helmet you posted is the condition of the paint and the unpainted screw.

I hope this helps you form an opinion.

Regards

Mark

[BlackCat1982]

Certainly the netting is fairly new, I would suggest taking if off so we can get a better look at the lid itself.

[Watchdog]

Certainly the netting is fairly new, I would suggest taking if off so we can get a better look at the lid itself.

Yes it is and the thread/string looks a bit thick too. One thing about nets on these though, certainly post war they tended to go in and out of vogue often being considered a snag/tangle hazard for parachuting along with the habit of using old grenade rings as a zipper pull on the smock. The net could of course be carried in a pocket and fitted on the ground

The other thing I forgot to mention about the suspicious screw is that apart from being unpainted, it shows signs of being removed using the wrong size screwdriver and it also looks to have a phosphate finish which suggests a modern item.

Regards

Mark