Unusual MK2 Style Police Helmet

[Spitace41]

Hi all. Picked a couple of these up yesterday and thought that they may be of interest, I have certainly not seen another. At first I thought they were MK2s mocked up for fancy dress, however on closer inspection they appear to look similar to a WW2 private purchase lid, although there are no bales for the chinstraps and the liner is riveted in. The liner itself is marked Havyman and appears to be from a safety hat or similar. Also, the paint is chipped in places and appears to have been the only colour on the helmet.

Has anyone seen anything like this before?

Cheers.

[Greg Pickersgill]

That's definately odd. I have never seen a liner like that in any UK helmet. Must be a Cold War issue??? However I am familiar with the shell, with its 'Dutch bend' upturned rim. I have a couple, definately WW2 vintage, and both, oddly, with mismatched chinstrap elements (ie the left and right elements are not the same, one being leather like the WW1 helmet and the other half of a Mk1 strap (the cloth&spring type). Mine have similar flat-headed rivets for the chinstrap bales, but the normal Mk2 liners have the usual crown nut&bolt. So far as I am aware they are a version produced in a hurry for home service during the early part of the Second World War. I'd like to know a lot more about them, especially as *every* one I have seen pictured has the mismatched chinstraps.

[Watchdog]

I have never seen anything like this before either but I feel that the whole setup is far too modern for a Cold War item and not at all British in execution. I really don't see this type of "building site" liner and strap being used for anything other than peace-time or safety scenarios. The rivets look like simple bi-furcated types applied without machinery.

My guess if there are many of these around would be that they are from a batch of surplus re-purposed shells from a foreign and probably third world nation in the Middle / Far East or Asia where there would have been a great number of these shells in circulation post war/empire or even obtained from manufacture in the post war years. Not many nations still use this type of lid as composite types now abound and are nowhere near as expensive (depending on source/quality) to procure as they once were when the concept was new. If they are all in this condition that would tend to support the idea of a released depot stock which would occur when an item is replaced in one go rather than wasting out the stock.. A glance at world news will show that just about every country regardless of their own language uses the English word Police on uniforms, vehicles etc.

This is just my educated guess if you like and I would love to hear from anyone who actually knows as fact where these originate.

Regards

Mark

[Watchdog]

Haha!

http://www.safety.pk/local-unbranded?product_id=51

Prices in Rupees and e-addresses in Pakistan

Mark

[Spitace41]

Funnily enough I was just googling Pakistani police helmets!

[christek]

Haha!

Safety Helmet Havyman Local

Prices in Rupees and e-addresses in Pakistan

Mark

Good find Mark!
A third world Police riot helmet perhaps? Some Police forces in that part of the globe still get issued SMLE rifles.

[Watchdog]

Some Police forces in that part of the globe still get issued SMLE rifles.

Yep, SMLE from Ishapore (India) and No4 from POF Wah (Pakistan) plus MG42 clones still produced very recently together with webbing, uniforms et al so helmets is not much of a surprise really!

Mark