20th Century Mk I Brodies, 1916 Transitional Helmet

[AustinO]

This one was a recent pickup and represents an interesting transitional helmet. 

 

The shell is a standard MK I rimless showing a heavy green paint over a lighter green paint. The heavy textured paint is consistent on the inside of the shell, and I am assuming factory applied. 

 

The liner is the early pattern tongued variety.  Looking at the chinstrap configuration, it is the same as what's seen on later helmets with one piece leather band being riveted to the shell under the liner. 

    

 

As such, this helmet would have been produced at some point between April and July of 1916 - as the factories ran out remaining stock of earlier liners.

 

 

The steel lot stamp is FS 152, and interestingly enough in doing my research I found similarly configured helmet on a dealers website - probably assembled within weeks if not days of each other!

 

Anyway, an interesting helmet to document as it represents a point in time during the development and transition from War Office Pattern to Mk I and it's further improvements. 

[JerryBB]

nice helmet and interesting presentation.  A question though, I have been told for many years that the rimless mki's have the wider shorter chinstrap mounts, not the rectangular type as on this helmet?

[AustinO]

The war office pattern has different chinstrap loops, with chinstraps directly sewn to the loops.  The Mk I had the more rectangular larger loops. 

[JerryBB]

On 1/5/2022 at 11:17 PM, AustinO said:

The war office pattern has different chinstrap loops, with chinstraps directly sewn to the loops.  The Mk I had the more rectangular larger loops. 

I mean the part riveted to the helmet, the chinstrap lug mounts, not the loops.