UK MK II Helmet 38/39 Harrison Bros & Howson

**reneblacky** · 11-20-2021, 07:46 AM

G'day All,

Again I'm playing with my UK junk!!
Here's a fairly early production type plain Jane smooth paint (should I scrape it to find a decal?) I don't see often here!

**Composite** · 11-20-2021, 09:33 AM

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!

**tinlid** · 11-20-2021, 11:03 AM

It's not April 1st yet is it?
As the smooth khaki green is the factory paint, you won't find any decals underneath.
A nice early home front helmet though.

**reneblacky** · 11-20-2021, 08:38 PM

Cheers Mate yes I was kidding.
Is it a home front one? I read somewhere that the early helmets came out in the satin grey green?

**reneblacky** · 11-20-2021, 10:17 PM

Ahh I forgot to add a full liner shot!!

**ruddersrangers44** · 11-20-2021, 10:45 PM

I love the early HBH shells as they stopped around 1940/41 so always a welcome sight to see.as Aaron said really good early mk2.

**reneblacky** · 11-21-2021, 04:42 AM

by tinlid

It's not April 1st yet is it?
As the smooth khaki green is the factory paint, you won't find any decals underneath.
A nice early home front helmet though.

Is it a home front one? I found the reference, not sure if it's accurate?

**SMP** · 11-21-2021, 09:04 AM

That article is wrong in lots of ways

**reneblacky** · 11-21-2021, 09:39 AM

by SMP

That article is wrong in lots of ways

Wish I knew why?

**SMP** · 11-21-2021, 12:11 PM

OK,
Firstly, there was no uniformity of paint with the first MKI* helmets. Many were shiny and smooth, while others were rough and matt. Some were more green, others were more khaki brown. It depended on how they were refurbished. Later MKI*s were painted the same as early MKII Army helmets ( see later)
The first MKIIS were delivered in satin grey/ green to home front (civilian) units and a few RA, AA and Home Guard units. They had smooth paint inside and outside. Civilian helmets were over painted black, white, etc as the war progressed. Police helmets were smooth blue.
From 1938 all the MKII helmets issued to the Army were painted smooth satin grey/green inside, but with a layer of rough, non reflective khaki paint on the outside. This was also true of later issued MKI*s.
From 1941 all army MKIIs had the rough, non reflective khaki paint applied inside as well.
From 1943/44 the colour of the British Army helmets changed to rough, matt dark-brown because of the difficulty in obtaining certain green paint chemicals. All late MKIIIs and MKIVs are this colour, but so too are many MKIIs that were refurbished after the war.
British troops in N.Africa were never issued yellow painted MKIIs. Any such helmets were camouflaged in theatre by the troops themselves. Yellow SA made MKIIS were issued to some Commonwealth troops.
RAF were issued Army helmets
The Royal Navy were issue Army helmets, but often painted them in ship's paint.