FS/FB M1 with a General Fibre made Hawley liner and mystery cover

[M.E.E.]

I have recently picked up several great helmets from a local used site that I am super excited to add to the collection. This is a nice front seam fixed bail M1 with a slightly damaged General Fibre made 3rd pattern hawley liner and great cast brass connectors, everything is nice and original.

I have been trying to figure out this cover, and from another forum (US item focused) people like and believe as I do that it is most likely been on the helmet for a very long time. The bump on the back of the helmet is a RCAMC WWII period made bandage pack. The cover is hand painted on what looks like a piece of uniform or sewn together cloth, the cloth was put onto the helmet and then painted. Paint has transferred to the bandage pack, and there is paint transfer to the helmet itself and where the cloth is folded there is no paint. I do not want, nor will be taking the cover off since there is no way to ever get it back to the place it was. I have only peaked under the very edges of the cover to confirm that the helmet does not look to have been repainted. As a bit more background this helmet came out of a collection in Canada and came with 2 other Canadian used helmets so there is a good chance it was a Canadian issued helmet, but the seller did have helmets and uniforms from the US.

I haven't seen a pattern like this before, so if anyone has seen something like this, recognizes the cloth used to make the cover or has any other info on this helmet the help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance and thanks for looking.

[M.E.E.]

Interior and the unpainted cloth interior, sorry the lighting isn't as nice but it was the one time the liner has come out.

[M.E.E.]

I thought I would update, posted this on a forum that specializes in Canadian gear, the cloth used is most likely a Canadian Army Bush Uniform. I have also found a picture of a Canadian HSAT pre Korea that ha a very similar camo painted on it and a Canadian soldier with a rubber band almost exactly the same as this one. So if the mods want to move this to another forum feel free, or not, it is a WWII M1 helmet, with a cover from between 1949 and the 1960's.

[Rescue190]

It is a nice lid. I just do not know all the details. I have not seen that style of liner on a post war helmet.
John

[M.E.E.]

It is a nice lid. I just do not know all the details. I have not seen that style of liner on a post war helmet.
John

The liner is a proper 3rd pattern WWII Hawley liner that was made under contract by General Fibre. The heat stamp puts it around the end of 1942, which is the proper range of the 200,000 helmets the US sent to Canada in 1943. Canada used a lot of these helmets post war without any changes, so you can see pictures of Canadians with fs/fb, sewn straps, brass hooks, and WWII paint during the 1960's, but they had been used in limited amounts from 1943 onwards. I am very happy with this helmet, I had been wanting a hawley for a while and with the cover on it, the paint (the little I can see without taking the cover off which I will not do) looks to be almost perfect WWII paint, and that cover is just gives it a great look.