WW1 British / Australian Brodie Pattern Steel Helmet Mk. I (ANZAC AIF) 1916

AN ORIGINAL BRITISH MANUFACTURED, AUSTRALIAN USED FIRST WORLD WAR BRODIE HELMET, STEEL, Mk. BEARDMORE & CO LTD IN 1916 AND FITTED WITH ITS ORIGINAL LINER. THE HELMET IS FINISHED IN ITS ORIGINAL WARTIME KHAKI TEXTURED PAINT AND IS UNRESTORED. This is a very good example of a British manufactured Size 7½ Brodie Pattern Helmet, Steel, Mk. I manufactured by Miris Steel Co. The helmet is still fitted with its original Mk. I helmet liner and is almost certainly one of those issued to Australian Troops during World War 1. As Michael J Haselgrove & Branislav Radovic describe P.

194 in their excellent reference Helmets of the First World War describe; All demobilised British (and Commonwealth) troops were allowed to keep a helmet as a souvenir of their service. Interestingly, many of the helmets found in Australia have similar early batch numbers that would indicate they were issued around the same time. As Roger Lucy describes in his excellent article on First war Brodie Helmets, Britain began to examine the need for a trench helmet in June 1915. Experiments were made with early French Adrian helmets, but the design adopted was one submitted to the British War Office by an inventor with a very chequered history, John Leopold Brodie. Brodie's helmet design was one that could easily stamped from Managnese steel with the pressing technology of the time, and offered good protection from descending projectiles.

It went into series production in October, 1915. With the exception of the first 4,440, produced in mild steel, it was made of non-magnetic manganese steel. A superb Australian War Memorial (AWM) picture is also attached of larrikin Diggers the 9th Battalion AIF, in 1917, wearing their Helmet, Steel, Mk. I s for a photograph dedicated to their mothers!

A number of similar helmets are held in the collection of the AWM, the most famous being the one worn by Sergeant W E Brown VC DCM, 20 Battalion, AIF. That helmet which is listed as item REL/00985.001 can be viewed at. This particular example is one of those produced. After a number of changes were approved in April, 1916 to the original design. These included fitting a mild (magnetic) steel rim and larger lugs with wire loops to the body. A new lining was designed, comprising a top pad of fire retardant material, lint and felt, attached by a copper rivet to the interior of the helmet body along with a leather strap.

The strap ends were riveted to hold a basil (reddish brown) leather headband, padded with cotton wool and covered by lint and canvas. Twelve tubular rubber buffers were inserted around the edge of the head.

To the headband was sewn a crown made of America Cloth, it had no tongues, instead, an adjustable cotton net fitted it to the wearer's head. The ends of leather strap, which attached the lining to the top of the helmet body, were riveted to two small brass wire loops, to which were riveted, in turn, the ends of a one piece leather chin strap with a plated steel slide buckle. The linked straps passed through larger brass wire loops attached to the chinstrap lugs. The helmet does not have the 1917 improvements, most notably the rubber crown ring, and this along with the early batch number indicates that it was manufactured in 1916. In September, 1916, this modified helmet received the designation Helmet, Steel, Mk.

I As these changes were phased-in between April and September, 1916, combinations of old and new features can be found on helmets manufactured in this period. The helmet bodies were marked by large letters and digits stamped on the brim to indicate the steel maker and lot number.

This example is clearly stamped with the makers code MLS 19 which indicates that this Mk I was produced by the Miris Steel Co. The Linings (made by the Army and Navy Stores, in which Mr Brodie had an interest) were marked BRODIES STEEL HELMET Registered No 65199 WAR OFFICE PATTERN PATENT No. 11803/16 , this example has a very clear stamp in red inside the lining. Some 7.5 million Mk. I helmets were produced during the war.

This particular example is still finished in its original khaki textured painted finish which is patinated consistent with age. The helmet shell is excellent as is the original Size 7½.

I helmet lining and leather crownstrap although the chinstrap is missing. The helmet has not been restored, re-painted or refurbished. This British manufactured Australian sourced First World War Helmet, Steel, Mk. I is cracking example of its type. The textured paint finish is particularly good and while the helmet has clearly seen use its patina is all the better for it.

If you are after a really good unspoiled example of a genuine Australian sourced WW1 Brodie, this helmet is it. The item "WW1 British / Australian Brodie Pattern Steel Helmet Mk. I (ANZAC AIF) 1916" is in sale since Thursday, December 22, 2016. This item is in the category "Collectables\Militaria\1914 - 1918 (WWI)". The seller is "anzacblade" and is located in Griffith, ACT.

This item can be shipped worldwide.

Authenticity: Original
Country: Britain / Australia
Campaign: World War I
Product Type: Helmets
Era: 1910s