Hsat mk2

[Politefaun]

Hi all, hope weekends are going well. Had a local show recently and saw this HSAT MK2 usually I stay away from airborne items besides patches due to the prices and fakes, but this one wasn't that much and I knew with my limited knowledge that it didn't have a dispatch rider liner.

After doing some research I think some parts of it might be from WW2 or early post war, but I'm not really sure. One thing that sticks out to me is the yellow padding, it seems like most of these helmets had black padding though I've seen some WW2/post war helmets contain this color of padding. The shell is nonmagnetic (though the rim is magnetic) and has definitely been repainted, you can still see some of the old texture paint. The screws like the chinstrap bales look to be made from brass I read these were blackened brass on postwar helmets. I think the chinstrap is post WW2 since it doesn't have stitching reinforcement near the loop instead it has a leather patch as well as the dome pad since it is a khaki color rather than black. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the liner had a maker's mark or date stamped in it, or if it did then it was very shallow and rubbed away with use. The only mark is a "54" made with some sort of marker though I don't think this has to do with the age of the helmet or anything.

Overall happy to have one of these in the collection as they're an interesting helmet regardless of era. I might add some scrim to the net since it's a classic look but if I could find an Israeli net and this turns out to be post war would definitely switch it over to one of those. Thanks for reading and any information!

[M.E.E.]

It is a Belgium used MkII post war. The liner was close to the British one but there is significant differences including the orange padding, the way the liner was stitched, the way that the connectors used a star pattern rivet, some of the reenforcement etc (even the pen mark is common on these). There might be a chance it was British to start but the foam pad looks closer to the Belgium made one than a British one.

[MAP]

A nice looking helmet Steve. Even if Belgium it was a fair price.

[Greg Pickersgill]

I would not claim to tell for certain from your photos that this is a Belgian helmet, but from what I can make out it probably is. As far as I know all of the Belgian helmets had the tricolour flash on one side - take a look and see if anything has been removed - the paint looks like Belgian original to me. Not all of them had the makers marks inside - I have three and two do one does not - so that's not a certain tell.

These helmets were very close copies of the UK model but were made entirely in Belgium in the early Fifties. WWH cites 1951 only, which may well be correct - World War Helmets - Casque HSAT, Mark II. As far as I know (we're waiting for Walter Jacobs' book here...) none of the Belgian postwar copies of UK helmets (Mk2, Mk3, DR, HSRAC) used any UK-sourced parts, everything made locally.

These Belgian halmets are much less easily found than the UK original, made in comparatively tiny quantities, and many have been converted by dealers or re-enactors to appear to be original UK helmets. The Belgian Mk3 has particularly suffered from this, being altered to be 'D-Day' helmets which apparently have greater value.

[Politefaun]

I would not claim to tell for certain from your photos that this is a Belgian helmet, but from what I can make out it probably is. As far as I know all of the Belgian helmets had the tricolour flash on one side - take a look and see if anything has been removed - the paint looks like Belgian original to me. Not all of them had the makers marks inside - I have three and two do one does not - so that's not a certain tell.

These helmets were very close copies of the UK model but were made entirely in Belgium in the early Fifties. WWH cites 1951 only, which may well be correct - World War Helmets - Casque HSAT, Mark II. As far as I know (we're waiting for Walter Jacobs' book here...) none of the Belgian postwar copies of UK helmets (Mk2, Mk3, DR, HSRAC) used any UK-sourced parts, everything made locally.

These Belgian halmets are much less easily found than the UK original, made in comparatively tiny quantities, and many have been converted by dealers or re-enactors to appear to be original UK helmets. The Belgian Mk3 has particularly suffered from this, being altered to be 'D-Day' helmets which apparently have greater value.

Thank you for the information and the site link! I think you're right on it being a Belgian copy. I don't see the remnants of the flag decal but after looking at a few other examples the dome pad color and construction look like the other Belgian HSATs I'm seeing online, and I haven't seen a british HSAT with a dome pad like that. Additionally that website mentions it was made in sizes 54 and 62 so I'm guessing the 54 mark is for size 54. Happy to know what exactly this is, now I just need to see if I can find a camo cover for it as the brushstroke and jigsaw patterns look pretty cool.