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British & Commonwealth WW1 & WW2 Brodie Helmet Maker Stamps


leon21

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This has been given a coating of red lead paint to prevent corrosion, obviously an amateur and dilettant attempt.

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Possibly Fritz, I have seen all kinds of paint jobs, both ameteur and professional. These helmets were used for all kinds of purposes after the war, light shades, etc. 

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Here's another WW1 helmet stamped FKS 60 = Thomas Firth & Sons of Sheffield both ( Manufacturer and Steel Supplier )

and Heat/Batch code 60, has no liner but still has part of its strap.

Photo's from other sources.

FKS 60 (1).jpg

FKS 60 (2).jpg

FKS 60 (3).jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi I'd like to share three of my helmets, mk2's. Any comments/corrections are very welcome.

First one has a shell from around 1937-1939 I think, based on the mk2 chin strap lugs, and it has a liner from 1943. The chin strap is a replacement by me. The original one was missing but the metal part of it was still in it, so I knew it once had an mk3 elastic strap.

Clément

 

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Second one, a shell from 1943 and liner from 1949, so refurbished. No idea if it was also repainted in 1949 or if this is the original 1943 paint?

 

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Finally, the third one is also refurbished but by the Dutch. It's a typical mk2 that you can find in the Netherlands. The shell is a refurbished RO&CO from 1942. I guess this repaint was probably done sometime in the 1950ies, and this typical Dutch liner I was told has probably been produced from sometime in the 1950ies (I'm not sure about the exact year). Much of these mk2's went to Civil Defense ('Bescherming Bevolking' for disaster relief). Some remained in the army after they switched to the M53 helmet ('Dutch M1 version'), and were used by the 'Mobiele Colonnes' (also for disaster relief). I think those are the green ones. The CD ones are more grey, and some white with stripes.
(The Dutch not only refurbished ww2 shells, but also produced their own shell by Verblifa from 1955. There's a very good reference website on these and other Dutch helmets (dutchhelmets.nl).

 

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Three nice helmets you have there Kievit.

1st - Helmet very over painted, has nice Teddy Toy Co Ltd liner made in Dagenham.

2nd- Helmet by E. Camelinat & Co Ltd of Birmingham, this helmet is stamped on both sides with two different Bach code numbers 421 and 447

very strange but interesting. If you look on page 10 you will see another EC & Co Ltd helmet I posted with Batch code number 417 which has original

colour of helmet.

3rd - Helmet by Rubery Owen & Co Ltd of Leeds I have one of their helmets myself, well made helmets with good stamp marks do you know the liner

maker? Helmet colour looks original to me.

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Hi Leon21,

Thanks for noticing the different codes on the EC&Co helmet. I never noticed! Another mystery for the books.

On the subject of the Dutch refurbished ww2 helmets & their liners. Unfortunately I have no idea who the supplier of these liners was, I'll ask around and see if I can find out.
About that helmet colour. Indeed it may be the original colour, it looks as if it was sprayed at a factory. With these ww2 mk2's used by the Dutch army it's hard to say for sure... The way I understand this, from what I've been able to pick up here in the Netherlands. The Dutch Army bought large stocks of surplus mk2's after ww2. Central refurbishment of these helmets was not in place here (in the Netherlands) during the time that this was the standard army helmet. From 1953 it was replaced by the M53 (Dutch M1 copy). Possibly some of the mk2's were still used a few years on, and in the mid fifties the stocks were refurbished centrally for primarily CD and other destinations, while some were still used in the Army for disaster relief units.
With no central refurbishment in place during so many years, my guess is that everything is possible. Also consider that from 1945-1950 at least 200,000 Dutch soldiers went to Indonesia (colonial war) taking lots of these ww2 mk2's with them.
So during the time the mk2 was the standard army helmet, some may have had quite good repaints and some not, and everything in between. I include a picture of another Dutch army helmet I bought here, a BMB 1942. The painting of that one was done with a brush.

Anyhow those are my 2 cents... Anyone who has more (or different) information, pse add or correct. There's lots to learn about the Dutch mk2's, at least by me 😉  It makes the mk2 all the more interesting.

Clément

BMB_1942_NL.jpg

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Here's a WW2 Canadian made helmet stamped CL/C 1942 Batch code 86 made by Canadian Motor Lamp Co of Windsor in

good condition still has its liner but no chin strap.

Photo's from other sources.

C.L.C. 1942 (1).jpg

C.L.C. 1942 (2).jpg

C.L.C. 1942 (3).jpg

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Here's a WW2 British made Police helmet stamped HBH II 1938 Batch code ZW has a JCS & W Ltd liner dated 1938 in

good overall condition apart from scratch marks to top of helmet.

Photo's from other sources.

HBH ZW (1).jpg

HBH ZW (2).jpg

HBH ZW (3).jpg

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Here's another WW2 Canadian made helmet, an early made CL/C = Canadian Motor Lamp Co made 1940 Batch code 1 hard to find these

 in good condition still has its liner but missing chin strap and X shape rubber off the liner.

Photo's from other sources.

 

$(KGrHqV,!l8E5hkrK,VKBOdCNmwodQ~~60_3[1].jpg

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$(KGrHqN,!jME5br+kQchBOdCORo5qw~~60_3[1].jpg

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Here we have a WW1 British made magnetic steel helmet stamped MS 103 =Miris Steel Co of London both (Manufacturer and Steel Supplier )

with Heat/ Batch Code 103 also stamped with the Miris logo stamp mark.

Photo's from other sources.

MS 103 (1).jpg

MS 103 (2).jpg

MS 103 (3).jpg

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Next we have another WW1 British made helmet stamped FS 113 = by Thomas Firth & Sons of Sheffield both ( Manufacturer and Steel Supplier )

with Heat/Batch code 113 In good condition with liner and chin strap.

Photo's from other sources.

FS 113 (1).jpg

FS 113 (2).jpg

FS 113 (3).jpg

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Here we have another WW1 British made helmet stamped DF 39 = By James Dixons & Sons ( Manufacturer ) Thomas Firth & Sons ( Steel Supplier )

with Heat/Batch code 39, helmet in good condition with liner a chin strap, also has insignia to front of helmet ( unknown ).

Photo's from other sources.

DF 39 (1).jpg

DF 39 (2).jpg

DF 39 (3).jpg

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Here we have another WW1 British made helmet stamped HS 88 = by Hadfields Ltd of Sheffield both ( Manufacturer and Steel Supplier )

with Heat/Batch code 88, in good condition with liner and chin strap broken at one end.

Photo's from other sources.

HS 88 (1).jpg

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HS 88 (3).jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here we have a British made helmet stamped FKS 77 for Thomas Firth & Sons of Sheffield both ( Manufacturer and Steel Supplier )

with Heat/Batch No 77, has no chinstrap or liner but has a US 6th Infantry Division Insignia on front of helmet.

Photo's from other sources.

FKS 77 (1).jpg

FKS 77 (2).jpg

FKS 77 (3).jpg

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Here we have a Canadian made helmet stamped G.S.W. AC. 1941 made by General Steel Wares of Toronto, no liner or chin strap but

still has part of its original burlap camouflage.

Photo's from other sources.

G.S.W. 1941 (1).jpg

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Here we have another Canadian helmet stamped G.S.W. D.P.& H. made by General Steel Wares of Toronto for the Department of Pensions,

and Health, and Welfare. for use on the home front. These helmets were made of a mild steel and were not to be used in combat.

They also hade no raised rivet on the outside of the shell, and were not date stamped, they were fitted with a V.M.C. II liner ( 1942 ) size 7 I/4.

Here are two photo's of workers inspecting helmets inside the factory during WW2.

Photo's from other sources.

 

 

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Here we  have a British made helmet stamped F. & L. 315 1/1939 = Fisher & Ludlow Ltd of Birmingham and Batch code 315 also has

a Vero 1938 dated liner. it is missing a chin strap but in good general condition.

photo's from other sources.

F&L 1939 (1).jpg

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F&L 1939 (3).jpg

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Here we have another British made helmet stamped BMB L81 1/1941 = Briggs Motor Bodies Ltd of Dagenham with batch code L81

still has its liner and chin strap and good clear stamp marks.

Photo's from other sources.

BMB 1941 (1).jpg

BMB 1941 (2).jpg

BMB 1941 (3).jpg

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Where would a helmet stamped ‘ZD’ (with a number) have been made? Are these American Brodie’s??
Have a keen interest in those made by James Dixon & Sons and wanted to know if the D could have been for JD&S.

 

Many thanks in advance! 

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If you are referring to the the heat stamp along the inside brim, a "ZD" would be followed by a 2-3 digit numeric code, and it would be a US M1917 helmet. One easy way to tell the US versions from the British ones, is to look at the rivets on the chinstrap bales, it the rivet has a split pin, its British, if its rounded, its US.

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Welcome to the forum Charles, James Dixon & sons only used a single letter D so a helmet made by them would always start with a letter D.

So  a helmet made by  them and stamped D/F 67, so the letter D refers to James Dixon & Sons as the Manufacturer and the letter F is

the Steel Supplier Thomas Firth & Sons with the Heat/Batch code.

Any helmet starting with a letter Z and followed by another letter and numbers means it was made in America.

Below is a typical stamp mark for James Dixons & Sons.

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Here we have a WW1 British made helmet stamped MLS 48 = Miris Steel Co of London both ( Manufacturer and Steel Supplier ) and

Heat/Batch number 48, still has its liner and chin strap.

Photo's from other sources.

MLS 48 (1).jpg

MLS 48 (2).jpg

MLS 48 (3).jpg

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Quick question - Mk1* Wm Dodson helmet from 1939, what is the correct nut and bolt configuration for this helmet's liner? I assume that it should have the big bolt but is it then the  big flat washer style of nut or something else?

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