Search the Community

Shortly after the US declaration of war in April of 1917 the US ordered around 400,000 helmets from the British for use by the American Expeditionary Force. While the US Manufacturers developed their own M1917 helmet and got production up to speed, very few of the M1917s made it to the Western Front before the Armistice. It was replaced by the M1917AI in the late 1930s - 1941 and the M1 helmet and liner was phased in 1941 - 1942.

Here's a list of known makers of British WW1/WW2 helmets and Liner Markings. British Steel Suppliers of WW1 British Helmets. V = Vickers Ltd of Sheffield.......................1916 - 1917. MS= Miris Steel Co Ltd of London..............1916 - 1917. ( also produced helmets after Aug 1916 ). also used "MLS" marks. FS= Thomas Firth & Sons Ltd of Sheffield............1916 - 1918. ( also used "F" mark and most likely used "FKS" marks ).. O = Samuel Osborne & Co Ltd of Sheffield........1916 - 1918. A = Edgar Allen & Co Ltd of Sheffield ......1916 - 1918. M = J & J Maxfield & Sons Ltd Sheffield.1916 - 1918. B = Bury's & Co Ltd of Sheffield................1916 - 1918. BS= W.Beardmore & Co Ltd of Glasgow....1915 - 1919. HS= Hadfield Ltd of Sheffield......................1916 - 1919. Known Makers of WW1 British Helmets. D = James Dixon & Sons Ltd of Sheffield .............. 1915. V = W & E Viener Ltd of Sheffield.................. 1915. ( possibly used EV mark ). M = J&J Maxfield & Sons Ltd of Sheffield .......1915. ( possibly used "M&S" mark ). H = Hutton & Sons Ltd of Sheffield................. 1915. HH = Harrison Bros & Howson Ltd of Sheffield. 1915.. R = John Round & Sons Ltd of Sheffield. 1916. Other Makers not part of the Sheffield Munitions Committee Groups. Army & Navy Co-operative Society Sept 1915 to Jan 1916 ( Not Marked ). Joseph Sankey & Sons Ltd Oct 1915 to Oct 1916 ( No Marks Except Steel Suppliers Mark ). Bleriot Ltd May 1916 to Oct 1916 ( No Marks Except Steel Suppliers Mark ). Known Makers of WW2 British Helmets. AMC = Austin Motor Co Ltd Cowley. 1941. BMB = Briggs Motor Bodies Ltd of Dagenham. 1939 - 1945. BS = William Beardmore Steel Co of Glasgow. F & L= Fisher & Ludlow Ltd of Birmingham. 1939 - 1942. WD = William Dodson & Sons of Birmingham. 1938 - 1941 ( possibly also used "WDS" marks ). Helmets Ltd = Helmets Ltd of Wheathampstead. RO & CO = Rubery Owen & Co Ltd of Leeds. 1939 - 1943 ( Spelled as RO.CO or RO & CO ). JSS = Joseph Sankey & Sons Ltd Bilston . 1938 - 1941. Cs. = Clydesdale Stamping Co Ltd. Dudley. 1939 - 1940. ( used a letter S within a letter C mark ). HBH = Harrison Bros & Howson. Sheffield. 1938 - 1943. EC & CO = E Camelinat & Co Ltd Birmingham. 1939 - 1944. ( also used just EC mark ). SO = Samual Osborne & Co Ltd. Sheffield. SC = Steel Ceillings Ltd. Hayes. 1939 - 1940 EB = Eveson Bros of Worchester. 1939 - 1943 ( possibly also used "EBW" marks ). PPM = Patent Pulp Manufacturing Co Ltd Thetford. ( Tank Crew and Motorcycle Dispatch Helmets ). Known Makers of British Helmet Liners. BMB 1 = Briggs Motor Bodies Ltd of Dagenham.........1939 - 1945. BH & G = Barrow Hepburn & Gale Ltd. London...........1939 - 1940. FFL 2 = Fisher. Foil. Ltd.............................................1941 - 1945 Helmets Ltd 1 = Helmets Ltd of Wheathampstead.......1937 - 1943. Vero 2 = Everett.W.Vero & Co London.........................1937 - 1944. TTC 1 = Teddy Toy Co Ltd. Dagenham.......................1939 - 1943. also used TTC 2 mark. FFC 2 = ?. SNL 2 = S.E.Norris Ltd. Dagenham. ( also "N" Ltd 2 ).1940. JCS&W= J. Crompton Sons & Webb Ltd. London........1938 - 1943. CCL 2 = Christy & Co Ltd London................................1940 - 1945. LWL = Lane & Whittaker Ltd..........................................1940 G.& S = Gimson & Slater of Nottingham........................1943 F&L 1 = Fisher & Ludlow Ltd Birmingham.....................1939 - 1942 AG = A.Garstin & Co Ltd. LPC = ?..........................1941 PPM = Patent Pulp Manufacturing Co Ltd Thetford. J&AJB 2 = ?...................1941 E & R = ?.......................1941 W&LC= ?......................1941 F.H = Failsworth Hats Ltd Oldham. H & S = ?......................1941 Commonwealth Helmet & Liner Makers. Known Makers of Canadian WW2 Helmets. CL/C = Canadian Motor Lamp Co. of Windsor.............1940 - 1943 AG/C = Aluminium Goods Co. of Toronto....................1942 exclusively GSW = General Steel Wares. of Toronto.....................1940 - 1942 Known Makers of Canadian WW2 Liners. Baskstay Standard Co of Ontario. ( Also made chinstraps ). Viceroy Manufacturing Co of Toronto. ( C/Arrow 144 ) and VMC )...1940 - 1945 Scully Manufacturing Co of Montreal. Known Makers of Australian WW2 Helmets. CS. = Commonwealth Steel Co (Australia ). Waratah ( NSW ). John Heine & Son Ltd Sydney. Known Makers of Australian WW2 Liners. Dunlop. = Dunlop Rubber Co Ltd Sydney. ( Aust & NZ ) 1940 - 1945 Known Makers of South African WW2 Helmets. TSP = Transvaal Steel Pressing Syndicate Ltd Johnnesburg. Known Makers of South African WW2 Liners. Jager Rand.& ( mark- Broad Arrow inside Letter "U" )...1940 - 1942 Known Makers of New Zealand WW2 Helmets. NPZ marked commonly referred as made by New Zealand Pressings, but helmet shells imported from Australia made by CS and assembled by General Motors Petone Wellington.The helmet lugs were made by Precision Engineering Co they supplied only 40,000 to General Motors and had stamped them ( nPz 1941 ) this was the only consignment ever made by this firm. The liners were made by Dunlop Rubber Co Ltd. This list is on going if you know of any more please let us know.

Hello, i would like to ask if some of those things are original. Thank you upfront for advices! Ps: sorry ,dont have better photos.

Nice example of an M39 I picked up recently. It’s the earlier version a belt ring was added in 1942. It has a Brennzunder Eifer igniting 1939 BZE 39 blue 4.5 delay blue fuze. There we’re red 1 second delay fuses apparently but I’ve never seen one.

Added this to the collection. I’d describe it as an over engineered box to carry a Tellermine. Lots of great detail which you can see in the photos, manufactures stamp & date, WaA inspection stamp.The fact that the internal paper label has survived is a treat. The ink stamp reads Heer Munition which translates into Army Ammunition. This box is bigger than it looks, about 2 thirds the size of an M24 transport case. Can’t beat a bit of tan paint

Recent acquisition. Russian RPG40 anti tank grenade.In Relic condition. Nice original paint under the lever.

Hey everyone! So today I came across a WW1 Tornister brand backpack that costs 47 bucks. Honestly I never thought about buying a backpack but it seemed to me very fair price. I always thought they would lot more expensive. Now I’m started to looking the other backpacks. I found a WW2 version that in better condition. But it costs $95. So more than a twice of ww1 one. (But I guess it is still fair price since ww2 stuff more expensive ) I am also interesting with WW1 era but not much as a WW2 ( like majority of people) but in other hand I decided to buy mostly because of the fair price and now I am raising the bar. And feel like if I buy the ww2 one I will miss the good opportunity ( if it is a good and not a typical price as I thought) buying both would be too much for me as a new collector and when there is many different thing to add to collection. (also my girlfriend would gone mad probably) So I need you guys to help me out. What is your opinions about that? First 5 photo from WW1 one that costs $47

Hello everyone. I am from Russia and I am new in this forum. I am looking to buy a German Wehrmacht helmet but i don’t have a much of a knowledge.. well I don’t have at all honestly. so I have some questions first Does M40 helmets cost more or more precious than M35 Helmets or there is no difference? what do you think about re-painted helmets? Personally I have a mixed feelings about them. Looks good but it’s spoils the originality in same time. My last question is; what is the average prices for a m40 or M35 helmets with some rust, without sweetband but all in one peace? I’m finding too many helmets with similar conditions but in very different prices. There must be fake ones also of course. I’m going to upload some helmets of sellers from Russia. Could you advise me about their originality and prices? ( I can add more photos of specific ones) first black one cost 137$ second green one costs 64.5 $ 3th one is 114 $ There is more that costs 25-30$ (They are rusty or there is some big holes ) and repainted ones . I didn't add them because otherwise post will be too long . thank you for the help .

This nice complete M24 base cap landed today with the early war manufactured spring and cardboard disc intact which was a mechanism stop the porcelain ball from rattling around. Also with the WaA Eagle approved inspectors stamp. Also shown is another M24 base cap showing the spring without the cardboard disc.

This landed today. Really chuffed with it. An excellent example of a hard to find piece of ordinance. Hopefully have a deac flash bang in the pipeline to finish it off nicely. Matching head and stick. Ubung training stamp Waffen stamped Correct spring loaded base cap.

Just added these three nice examples of WW2 Japanese Hand Grenades: A Type 97 hand grenade (left) ,a type 97 ceramic practice grenade (centre) & a type 4 ceramic grenade (right). Incorrect pin on the type 97 but I have a relplica on order. Obviously the type 4 ceramic has a repro fuse assembly but the body has a nice manufacturers stamp on the base. All hard to come by in the UK so 3 nice finds and a nice trio of a collection The correct pin. Photo source Wikipedia.

Picked this up a while ago as it was a bargain.(I don't collect WW2 grenades WW1 is my thing on the grenade front) but I suppose every grenade collector should have one. Anyway here's a Mk 2 Grenade also know as a Pineapple grenade. It was manufactured by the American Fireworks Co Ltd. I don't know who manufactured the fuse.If anyone can enlighten me? There's plenty of info stamped on top of it. All I know is that the fuse is a mid war manufactured M10A2. The grenade body retains traces of its original olive drab over yellow paint .HE Mk2s were originally painted yellow which really made them stand out but from around 1943 they were over painted with olive drab to make them less visible. They did however retain a thin yellow band at the 'neck' to Identify them as H E grenades. Remained in use as late as 1969 by the use navy. I have previously disassembled the grenade but I'm reluctant to do so again as the pin is old & I don't want to risk breaking the ends off by straightening them & then splaying them again. Anyone know what G stands for?

I'd like your opinion on this please Gildwiller1918 as you are a bit of a restoration guru it has to be said. So here we have a rare M1939 Training Egg Grenade examples of which are pretty hard to come by. At some stage on its journey its been painted grey after starting out red. However on the plus side it is complete and in relatively good shape. The question is,what would you do with it restoration wise? Not mine by the way but perhaps

Just a quick snap shot of the various different designs of Sten Gun magazines. I think I have the complete set here but if anyone knows of any different designs let me know. The one on the left is the earliest variant as far as I know. Note only the fourth mag has open witness holes. Witness holes allowed the user to get an idea of how many rounds were left in a magazine. Note the witness holes have been soldered closed on the left hand mag. This was the practise in places like North.Africa. It was done to keep the sand out. They are known as soldered mags. Soldered Thompson mags with an unsoldered mag on the right.

M3A1 Grease Gun Designed & developed as a much cheaper alternative to the Thompson. Basically a no frills sheet steel seem welded weapon with a single 'slow' rate of automatic fire. 45APC ammo same as the Thompson. The name derives from its appearance being similar to a common grease gun used to inject grease into moving mechanical parts This example supersedes the original M3 having done away with the external cocking handle just below the breech on the right hand side making the manufacturer of the weapon even simpler. To cock the weapon one just flips the safety cover/ used case ejection port open & pulls back the bolt with a finger. Surprisingly heavy & with a real solid feel about it. The skeleton stock folds away/ extends nicely. There's an oil bottle with a 'spoon' located in the pistol grip. A weapon of choice for tank crews owing to its small dimensions. Used throughout the mid to latter part of WW2, Vietnam & as late as the first Gulf War. Still in use today by all accounts. Pictured here with doubled up magazines for fast reloading.

Probably my favourite deactivated SMG in my collection.In nice original condition. Manufactured in the millions. A crude but effective 9mm weapon and much much cheaper to produce than the Thompson. 32 round magazine but filling to capacity regularly caused jams so 28 rounds was the recommended mag load. Pretty hard to come by in the UK these days. Complete with silencer. This would only be used on semi auto.

Following many years of restoration and sourcing of parts from all over the the world this immaculate Fiat CR42 Falco with its awesome camouflage resides at Duxford England and is soon to be a flyer. Also coming along nicely in the restoration hanger is this Beaufighter that will one day take to the skies once again. With her awesome array of 6 cannon 8 machine guns & rockets it must have packed one hell of a punch as a ground attack anti shipping weapons platform. The only Flying Fortress flyer in Europe now following the retirement of B17F Pink Lady is Sally B (wearing Memphis Bell nose art on the starboard side) a B17G looking good in her olive drab. My favourite US WW2 aircraft type often referred to as the box the B17 came in is this beautiful B24, an M model I believe. She is static, one of 2 in the UK/Europe apart from relic status airframes. Look at those lines ! Finally and apologies for the poor photograph but those airframes are squeezed in tight. B29 Superfortress Hawg Wild. This aircraft was 'rescued' from the China Lake gunnery range in the States and flown to the UK. The only B29 in Europe. Technically a flyer but is on static display in the American Air museum hanger along with the B24 and another B17G to name a few. Taken last year at the Flying Legends weekend.

Gents, Based on the evidence of the pics, might I ask your opinion on the authenticity of these War Merit Crosses with Swords 1st & 2nd Class. There are no identifying makers marks on either. Thank you.

Hello again! I have a hat that has stumped me! It is a m43 cap, post war (i think cause it has a grey sweatband) and has a ww1 Austrian F.J I pin that someone put on the cap. Is there any Austrian unit that may have used this cap, or did someone just put the pin on? Also on the right side of the cap, it looks like there was a patch there. Has there been any occurrences of ww2 German m43 caps being stripped of insignia and "refurbished" and then issued to other armies? I would love some insight on this hat. It's driving me nuts!

OK so the story goes like this. A few years ago I and my family went to an owl sanctuary here in Kent as my father had rescued a barn owl and needed advice. The bloke who ran the sanctuary, Derrick, was heavily involved in diving and had been doing it all of his life. In the 60's he was diving for the Royal Navy off of the coast of Folkestone and he came across an anchor, not just any anchor, it was from a 2nd World War German ship... It has sat in the garden of his home since then having only had a coating of paint and some anti-corrosion coatings. Sadly, Derrick passed away a few years ago and his wife decided to sell most of the sanctuary and most of the antiques within their home. I bought a genuine German infantry dagger from her a few years ago, it had sat on the wall since Derrick purchased it many years before and I bought it to stop a dealer buying it to sell on. We have been helping her ever since we met Derrick and my father and mother had been at Derricks funeral also as they had become great friends. We recently asked her about the anchor and she agreed to sell it to us so we could preserve it and stop it also falling into the hands of another dealer who was badly pestering her to buy it. We picked it up today, and we are taking it along to the War and Peace show tomorrow to put on display on a friends stall. I am thinking of restoring it, the name of the ship it was from or the makers is on the anchor but its hard to read right now. The anchor also has Swastikas on it. But, this is 100% authentic and ultimately incredibly rare. I am trying hard to find as much info about the ship as possible as only Derrick himself knew the exact details but he never wrote any of it down. All we know is that it was brought up near Folkestone or Hythe here in Kent during the 1960's. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated so we can help track the ship it is from down. We have reason to believe it is from a Type II U-Boat, U12 to be exact, but Derrick said it was from a cargo ship. No idea.