Sorry for the quick successive post, but at the request of a forum member here’s pics of a recent helmet acquisition. The original plan (still in the works) was to include it in a thread dedicated to covering a recently discovered kit bag. In the interim I’ll post these pics to add to the other ‘eagles’ here on this thread.
This Mk.II is in a super state of preservation consistent with the condition of the other items found in the bag which evidently had sat undisturbed for many years, and quite possibly since the early postwar years. (The story of the discovery of this “time capsule” will be covered in the aforementioned upcoming thread).
The only real condition issue is with the liner. It is pushed up into the helmet as a result of sitting for a long time pressed tightly up against other items in the bag. This has permanently bent the cross straps forming the frame so that the liner will no longer spring back down. Fortunately, the liner is otherwise not overly deformed.
The stencil applied eagle is 95% intact, and it’s reasonable to suggest the abrasions and chips are due to period wear and tear. The original netting with the expected breaks and fraying has left a visible cross hatch pattern in the paint on the upper dome area after several decades of constant contact (clearly visible in picture below). The Mk.III chin strap bears the original owner’s initials, consistent with the name on the kit bag. The liner is a size 7, dated 1942 and made by G&S. The maker marks on the shell are obscured by the paint, and I can only make out the numeral “2”. There are other visible marks, but indecipherable.
Needless to say, I was quite stoked to add this survivor to the collection.
Cheers,
Tony
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