Salty Middle East Relic

[Greg Pickersgill]

There's a whole load of 'Aeromaritime', both presently existing and no longer operating. This one was almost certainly a HK firm that according to a HK business register began trading in 1978 and was dissolved in 1987. The only reference to it in our world (that I know of) is within the text of Roger Lucy's Recognition Guide.

On the other hand I have seen this exact same lable on another helmet - photos sent to me by a fellow using the email address CHATHAM123 back in 2011. Due to a minor failure in my filing system (hem hem) I don;t seem to be able to find the picture he sent. At the time I wrote (at least in part wrongly in light of more recent findings) -

" I have to admit I still don't have any better idea of what it really is, though I do suspect quite strongly that the Aeromaritime label may actually have nothing to do with the helmet originally. This is a definately somewhat unusual helmet with some characteristics that aren't immediately identifiable."

Well then, must have been something interesting. All vanished in the mists of time now.

[Greg Pickersgill]

I found the pics referred to in the previous email. Perhaps meaningful that the liner and shell are named 'Hearn' - used in English-speaking state? Also the net looks South African to me, but then I am no expert on such things. The liner seems very distinctive with that dark green crackle finish. Anyway, just to prove it wasn't all just a jumble of failing crossed neurones -

[James C]

Thank you Emile for your thoughts on this one as i wasn't aware of the French Airline under the same name ,there are no other markings as far as i can see ,i did find a link to another example brought back from Iraq but in much better condition than this relic ,the description mentions a similar label found inside the inner shell Iraqi Army Steel Helmet w/Liner and GI Capture Tag COOL | #417503120

[James C]

Thanks for posting up the other examples Greg for comparison ,the net looks West German and i know that Iraq used a lot on these on a variety of Helmets ,quite a coincidence that the same label is to be found on more than one example.
I wonder if Hearn could simply be the name of the soldier who liberated this one and marked it up for sending home perhaps

[Composite]

...so there was a HK-based cloner of M1 Helmets....with some turning up in Iraq?

[James C]

Thanks Ade ,i wonder now if these were a specific Iraqi Contract for the HK manufacturer

[Greg Pickersgill]

Why on earth is anyone assuming that the one I showed is in any sense Iraqi? What am I missing here? *I* certainly never thought that. And it seems a long assumption to make that someone put their name on both liner and shell in the process of 'sending it home'' (why not the entire postal address as well then?).

Yes, I understand that this idea has been derived from a Worthpoint posting, but remember those are just copy&paste from Ebay or other auction sales posts, and it is going to be a long dark night before I believe everything I read on Ebay unless I *already know it myself*. 'Iraqi bringback' is always going to attract more of the gullible than than 'M1 clone used by unknwon nation'.

Of course if anyone can demonstrate that Aeromaritime did have a contract to the Iraqi government I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. Remember, they went out of business in 1987. (But what about the enterprising arms dealer who finds a warehouse full of old stock in HK in 2000 and flogs them to the Iraqis just in time for GW2...yes indeed.)

[James C]

I think that anyone you mention would most likely be me so i put my hand up Greg, I spoke to the original owner of this relic and he sold it on behalf of his friend who was the soldier on deployment to Iraq who discovered and brought back this piece among a few others of the same type and all were in a similar condition and devoid of liners as far as i could read into our conversations so either they were worn with a headdress of some sort or by one particular unit of even were relics of an earlier war perhaps with Iran but pure speculation on my behalf just trying to fill in the blanks and make some sense of it all ,the last Iraqi relic i picked up was found buried in sand by a soldier Mine sweeping and again how long it had lain there it would be hard to say ,I do know that the West German Tarnetz were used heavily by Iraq outside of the Bundeswehr and can't bring any other nation to mind who did , the description of the other examples of this type mention Iraq and knowing for sure where my example came from just points in that direction but you're right they could well of been sold to other nations by a Third party unknown after the company ceased trading