WW II Canadian Helmet Stash Found In Quebec

Can someone give me the details on the MK II helmets found in a warehouse in Quebec. I understand many were still in their shipping crates.

If you read or heard about that from the WAF that was probably me. A few years ago, MKII shells and crates started showing up here in the Kitchener area by the hundreds. I was offered to buy 300 shells. I talked to 3 different dealers who had managed to buy crates of shells, most of them sold the crates seperately and they went fast. I only saw one and kicked myself for not buying it, I think he wanted $70 for the empty crate. I was picking up shells for $4 a piece.
The story was that a stash was found somewhere in Quebec and whomever found them was offloading them to dealers. That is all I know about them. The supply must have dried up because there is not as many shells kicking around here as there was at the time. 6 months ago I was asked by one of the above mentioned dealers if I wanted to buy his last 100 shells at $5 each. I refused as I had gone through most of his shells and pulled the good ones, some tan painted ones, some sand camo ones and original WWII painted shells. Alot were post war repaints and most had some rust or were very rusty. There are still some kicking around at shops in town, but they are selling them for $25 each.

Thanks Jeff.

Thought I would add these photographs:

Hi

Is that an NSN # on the label? :?:

I don't know from helmets.

regards
Darrell

jholl72 wrote:If you read or heard about that from the WAF that was probably me. A few years ago, MKII shells and crates started showing up here in the Kitchener area by the hundreds. I was offered to buy 300 shells. I talked to 3 different dealers who had managed to buy crates of shells, most of them sold the crates seperately and they went fast. I only saw one and kicked myself for not buying it, I think he wanted $70 for the empty crate. I was picking up shells for $4 a piece.
The story was that a stash was found somewhere in Quebec and whomever found them was offloading them to dealers. That is all I know about them. The supply must have dried up because there is not as many shells kicking around here as there was at the time. 6 months ago I was asked by one of the above mentioned dealers if I wanted to buy his last 100 shells at $5 each. I refused as I had gone through most of his shells and pulled the good ones, some tan painted ones, some sand camo ones and original WWII painted shells. Alot were post war repaints and most had some rust or were very rusty. There are still some kicking around at shops in town, but they are selling them for $25 each.

Hello Jeff,

Was this lot just shells? I was fortunate enough back in the late 80s or early 90s to get in on a large stash of complete Canadian MkII helmets in unissued condition. I bought 10 at the time. I should have bought 100!!

I still have three or four of them.

Oh yea. They were $15 US each.

Best regards.

Jim

Hi Jim,
Yes the find I am talking about was just shells in the crates like you see in the pics. The ones I saw were all issued and in varying conditions with various paint jobs on them as I mentioned above. The crate above is the first one I have seen since I came across the dealers hoard and heard the story.

I would love to find a stash of complete MKII's for $15 each....that would make for a nice find!

Darrell wrote:Hi

Is that an NSN # on the label? :?:

I don't know from helmets.

regards
Darrell

Darrell, certainly does appear to be a NSN#. The Country code '21' denotes this is a Canada generated number. I have checked the NSN on he web and come up empty. If someone were to gain access to DWAN and punch in this number, I would be curious as to what comes up.

...If someone were to gain access to DWAN and punch in this number, I would be curious as to what comes up...

Hi Cliff

I'm not saying if it was me snooping around the DIN but using a couple of Bin Rat programs and that visible NSN; I have found out the following:

There is no such NSN in the CFs Material Management System (MIMS), Canadian Government Catelogue of Material (CGCM), or in Cdn Forces Supply Sysytem (CFSS). It just doesn't come up.

However, that being said, the first four numbers (8415) is the correct Group Class for helmets, even today.

Likely the were kept at a Depot and remarked with NSN way back when they would be considered "War Stock" and then discarded shortly thereafter (as we had the Yank Steel Pot by then) and the NSN was not re-used.

Possible solution to the # issue? I dunno.

BTW, 26 Central Ordnance Depot (26 COD) was in Cobourg, Ontario 1954-1970.

regards
Darrell

When I ran the number the other day it came back as obsolete. Will take a screen shot tomorrow for the exact wording.

Okay, I was pretty close. The status on CGCS reads Item is cancelled without replacement. Status date is 30 Nov 1968.
No entry on CGCM.

Hi Eric

Wow, I'm suprised so late.

Thanks.

regards
Darrell

I visited one of the dealers who bought boat loads of these shells. He is the one that offered me 200 of them. This is a pic of whats left, most of the shells are roached out. He is asking $30 for 3 shells.

These helmets were on issue into the 1970s. In the 1960s as kids in Dartmouth NS we could buy a complete Canadian steel helmet for 75 cents for us kids ($1 for adults).

I have seen boxes of the shells - the Delta Museum (BC) had them upstairs in the 1970s but now staff deny all knowledge of them. These were ARP helmet shells. One acquaintance did acquire a bunch of the liners, chin-straps and other ARP gear (rubber boots, fire bomb scoops?) from a municipality that was cleaning out its warehouse (Maple Ridge, BC?) some years ago.

So ... go check out your local municipal storage warehouse! Offer to do them a favour and help clean out old ARP and Civil Defence supplies! It might have to go to auction, but if you at least know what and where, you may get a bargain.



Colin Stevens