Canadian M1 Helmet

This is my new M1 helmet ! I dont know if the helmet was use in ww2 (kiska) or post-war use ? two number inside the helmet SD36518 AND ZD13864









 

Wouldn't have been WW2, most likely FLQ Crisis time. if it was later on is would have the Woodlands cover and a different kind of Scrim

Nice M1 example.   The service numbers and the rubber band are also good indicators of post-WWII use.

Thank you because I never see number like this !

If you look behind the nape strap sometimes there is a date of manufacture

The date of manufacture on the Nape Strap only applies to the Nape Strap itself; a true indication of manufacture date for the liner is the manufacture's logo which is stamped on the inside centre, but this will only give you the time period of the contract run. The heat stamp number embossed in the steel shell will also reveal the date when the steel helmet was fabricated.

But what is the number paint in white inside the liner ?

It is a service number....

Hello, I show you two helmets M1 used by Canada.

The first one is a helmet M1 Américain used by the Canadians in 1970-80.






The second is US M1, Canadian 1943-45 Kiska,
McCord Fixed Bale # 267A with a liner Siemens and a net 2 tones.

ZD13864 is a service number for an officer of the Regular Force. The military started to issue these numbers in early 1945.
Your second service number SD36518? was used for Regular Force other ranks and they date from approximately 1950.

Both numbers and prefixes indicate issue to a member enlisting in the Quebec Command.

The book "Regimental Numbers of the Canadian Army" by Clive Law at Service Publications has all this information and a lot more. A very worthwhile purchase.

It looks to me like a post war issue. I have some M1 helmets with original WWII liners and shells that the Canadian military used in their original configuration up into the 1990's, and, as Ed stated above, the heat stamp number on the inside of the shell can give an approximate time frame for the manufacture of the it.

If you do pull it apart be careful as the leather chin strap on the liner could be dry and very delicate - although yours looks to be in fairly good condition.

Thank you 37 patt :)

In WW2, and up to Korea we Canucks used the British style "Tin Hat". Canadians didn't get the American style "Brain Pot" till much later.

CoolPool...

The "Tin Hat" is correctly referred to as a Mk II (1940-1970), and the "Brain Pot" as the M1 (1942-2000). You can find all of this information and much more in a lovely little book entitled "Tin Lids - Canadian Combat Helmets" for the excellent price of $29.95 available at the Service Publications website www.servicepub.com. When you go to the website check out the MilArt section for a number of good articles on Canadian helmets.

If you feel that you don't want to buy the book, you can always take the details, author, ISBN etc to your local library and they can either purchase a copy or arrange an inter-library loan.

CoolPoolNorm wrote:In WW2, and up to Korea we Canucks used the British style "Tin Hat". Canadians didn't get the American style "Brain Pot" till much later.

That is generally the case but there were exceptions. If you look again at some of the previous posts in this thread you will see Canadians in the SWW using the M1 helmet.

There's always exceptions, Infanteer.  I know that the First Special Service Force had M1's, and the Airborne had their special helmets, but the Tin Hats were issued to 99% of the rest - and were still being used in Korea.

When my pic in the Avatar was taken (late 2002), I still had my Brain Pot (and old style combats), but shortly after that, we were issued the Kevlar helmet as we got CadPat in the Air Force.

And no disrespect to you, Ed, but nobody ever referred to it as a "MkII helmet", or a "Helmet, M1"..... they were almost universally called Tin Hats and Brain Pots by those who actually wore them.

Coolpool... Every piece of equipment has a correct name, when discussing a piece of equipment, use the correct name, if you don't know the correct name, then find out. I served in the Army for over three decades and will agree with you that most of the people I served with had no idea what the actual name or designation of the equipment their were using was, but they also did not come onto collector forums expecting to have conversations about that materiel either. Every helmet is a 'brain bucket', by using the correct term, then everyone knows what you are talking about and the era of the helmet, using the correct term also reveals a certain level of knowledge by the poster. You can continue to use your made up names, just don't expect me to bother answering any of your questions - no disrespect intended. You have been given the tools to learn the various helmet differences, apply them.

There is no point arguing with edstorey, a toilet seat is Toilet, Seat, Mk 1.

Don't worry Coolpool, the rest of us know what your talking about.

Its best just to ignore him....

Mike

CoolPoolNorm wrote:There's always exceptions, Infanteer.  I know that the First Special Service Force had M1's, and the Airborne had their special helmets, but the Tin Hats were issued to 99% of the rest - and were still being used in Korea.

When my pic in the Avatar was taken (late 2002), I still had my Brain Pot (and old style combats), but shortly after that, we were issued the Kevlar helmet as we got CadPat in the Air Force.

And no disrespect to you, Ed, but nobody ever referred to it as a "MkII helmet", or a "Helmet, M1"..... they were almost universally called Tin Hats and Brain Pots by those who actually wore them.

Okay.... you know there were exceptions so I don't understand why you felt compelled to declare that the American helmets weren't issued until much later. Your statement is only partly true.

I spent 22 years in both the infantry and air force and we only referred to them as "helmets". The odd person may have joked about a "brain bucket" but it certainly wasn't a commonly used term.

Personally, only one helmet who bore the name of ''brain bucket'' french name ( cervelière ) was the first French helmet.
It was in the form of bowl attached as head by a cordon.
And it before arriving him from the Adrian in 1915.




Everything them other helmets have them names and nickname.
As British Mk1 ( Brodie)
US mK1 (doughboy helmet)
Canadian MKII (soup bowl )

The Brodie helmet, called Helmet, steel, Mark I helmet in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the U.S., is a steel combat helmet designed and patented in 1915 by Englishman John Leopold Brodie. Colloquially, it was called the shrapnel helmet, Tommy helmet, Tin Hat, and in the United States the doughboy helmet. Worn by Australians during WW2 and sometimes known as 'Panic Hat'. It was also known as the dishpan hat, tin pan hat, washbasin, battle bowler (when worn by officers), and Kelly helmet. The US version, the M1917, was copied from the British Mk 1 steel helmet of 1916. The German Army called it the Salatschüssel (salad bowl).

During the WW2 the US M1 helmet was always called as the US M1 or M1 steel pot.

That sure is an unusual helmet, thanks for sharing.

I must admit, I have learned some interesting facts on this topic, thanks for that everyone who contributed. HOWEVER, before this gets out of hand, I am putting on my moderators hat...

Hat. Mod. MkVI*I.

Lets keep the discussions civil. Some of us are more in tune with correct nomenclature than others.

Can we go back to learning about the Canadian use of the American M1 helmet?