Description
Physical description
Bowl-shaped steel helmet, green painted, featuring a wide brim of simple pressed construction with raw edging, and has a bronzed metal regimental cap badge applied to the front. The liner is of MK I pattern, comprising two part construction of an oval crown pad of lint, asbestos, and felt, and an American cloth tongueless headband padded with cotton wool, lint and canvas (to the underside) and attached to a netted head band support. To the outside of this support (between the skull cradle and the helmet shell) is attached a series of 12 tubular-shaped rubber buffers. A complex leather chinstrap system is fitted on top of the oval pad and threads down either side of the liner, being passed through two rectangular wire bales, one either side of the rim, and coupled to a second strap that is the chinstrap proper, that features a single-prong metal buckle. The entire two-piece liner and pad are held fast to the crown of the helmet shell by a single copper rivet that passes through the leather strap and pad.
History note
Worn by Lieutenant W Roberts.
History note
By March 1916, some 140,000 helmets (Type 'A', 'B', and 'War Office' pattern) had been issued to troops serving on the Western Front, but being as they were regarded as "trench stores" issue was very limited and there were not enough to enable soldiers to claim their own personal issue. Medical evidence had confirmed the value of the shrapnel helmets as severe heads wounds had decreased amazingly, therefore production was urged to speed up, but prior to this, those helmets that had been evaluated under field conditions had highlighted some criticism, including that the paint finish was to shiny; the helmet was too round and shallow; the liner was slippery, and that the edge of the brim was sharp and could cause injury. To counter this, a new liner and chinstrap assembly was devised; edging applied to the rim, and a non-reflective textured paint would be used. 1,000 modified helmets were then sent for front line evaluation and these were initially approved by 15th May, 1916, and given full approval in July by which time 1,000,000 were in service. By September of that year the new helmet was known as the "Helmet, Steel, Mark I".
However despite the approval of the new helmet there remained substantial numbers of components yet to be utilised and these were assembled with a mixture of old and new features. This particular example is the marriage of an earlier helmet shell with the improved liner system.