NgDKhang Posted July 3, 2019 Share #1 Posted July 3, 2019 Hello all, Sharing again from my latest spree of British helmets. This one is certainly one of the more interesting ones that I've been able to find. Similar to several others, this particular one was purchased from a large lot of approx. 300 helmets which had been DRMO'ed and sold off as surplus by the British Ministry of Defense. While at the time the Mk.7's were issued they were considered to be a considerable upgrade to to the older generation of Mk.6 helmets, they were still flawed in that their ballistic protection was still not very good. Using V50 (mean penetration velocity) to rate their helmets, the helmet was officially rated at 650 m/s, meaning that if a projectile struck the Mk.7 at this velocity, half of them would be expected to penetrate. This particular is a Size Medium Mk.7 Helmet produced by NP Aerospace in 2010. The helmet features a size Large (hence the baggy fit) 2nd Pattern Mk.7 Helmet Cover in MTP Camouflage. These 2nd Pattern covers are easily identifiable by horizontal elastic foliage bands, a better fit to make use of the Mk.7's slight curve for better vision and added retaining strap located at the rear for goggles. On the interior, there are three names written down. Originally, the helmet belonged to a soldier named "Gyson", but was later re-issued to one nicknamed "Webby" who has written his name down twice. The helmet is absolutely filthy and shows heavy wear and tear as would be expected from field usage. Of course, the most obvious feature of the helmet is the massive damage it has received. Viewing the helmet from the front-left, it has received three separate rounds near the crown. All three rounds penetrated and viewing the interior of the helmet, traced itself, following the helmet's curvature, before at least two of them exited the rear of the helmet, tearing the cover in the process. Based on the helmet's components, this one was likely used during the 2012-2014 time period in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, I have not been able to 100% ID this helmet to any service-member yet. Although I have found one LCpl Jamie "Webby" Webb who was WIA and later sadly died of his wounds in 2013, I do not believe this to have belonged to him as I have doubts that they would sell a dead man's belongings. Currently, I'm working with several researchers and have reached out to several British Veteran Groups and Media Outlets to see if they might have better luck identifying the owner. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do! Link to comment
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted July 26, 2019 Share #13 Posted July 26, 2019 Wow, that is quite the helmet! I am very suprised that it was surplused. I know at least in the US they return the helmet to the soldier who was wearing it, I'm not sure if they do the same in the UK? Link to comment
NgDKhang Posted August 4, 2019 Author Share #14 Posted August 4, 2019 Wow, that is quite the helmet! I am very suprised that it was surplused. I know at least in the US they return the helmet to the soldier who was wearing it, I'm not sure if they do the same in the UK? Hey Cap, I'm not sure about the practices in the UK, I know like here in the US, damaged helmets are usually collected to be evaluated, but who knows what happened. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now