HSAT MKII Airborne Paratroopers Helmet Dated 1943

Description

A lovely example of an HSAT Mk II airborne paratrooper helmet with canvas webbing chinstraps, clearly dated 1943. Manufactured by Briggs Motor Bodies Ltd of Dagenham, this size 7⅝ helmet bears the initials ‘RPC’ on the chinstrap and an unidentified flash on the front.

The helmet is in excellent condition. Although it has been postwar repainted for further service, the original wartime paint remains visible inside the shell. As is correct for original chinstraps, the webbing chin harness features a secondary set of reinforcing strips sewn around the joints, as shown in the photographs. This is a particularly rare example from one of the earliest batches of HSAT Mk II helmets produced with the new webbing chinstraps.

Helmets for British airborne troops were first introduced in 1941 with the short-lived ‘P-type’. This was followed by the standard Helmet, Steel, Airborne Troops, and subsequently the Mk I and Mk II. These three later types shared a similar shell. The initial version, issued in July 1942, featured a black rubberised fibre band around the edge and a leather harness. The Mk I, issued in October 1942, retained the leather harness but replaced the fibre band with a stainless-steel rim. The Mk II replaced the leather harness with canvas webbing and was issued from February 1944.

The Mk II was not widely seen in action until September 1944, although some were used by the 6th Airborne Division in Normandy and later issued to the Polish Parachute Brigade. It remained in service after the Second World War and was last used on active service by members of the Parachute Regiment during the Falklands War in 1982.

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