BRITISH WWI LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS BATTLE DAMAGED, POSSIBLE SOMM BATTLEFIELD PICK UP HELMET.

A fabulously rare very first pattern non magnetic British Brodie helmet of WWI, the rimless version, green painted with the internal oilskin tongued liner. The exterior shell, which has all the normally ripples to the crown where it meets the rim has been over-painted with a more conducive matt Khaki finish which was introduced in early 1916 . To one side of the helmet the painted flaming grenade with the letters ‘LF’ below. The helmet has taken a round, which has gone through the front of the helmet, through the interior oilskin liner and through the back of the helmet and in the process bending the metal outwards in a much larger diameter than the round hole through the front. The helmet still has the mud of the battlefield to the interior liner. The liner is obviously slightly damaged where the round has penetrated then gone through the back. The helmet is with its original brown leather chinstrap, which is in good strong condition and has been slightly shortened which many soldiers did at the time, verbal provenance suggests that this helmet was originally bought from a junk shop in Germany in the 1970,s , therefore making it a German battlefield pickup. This helmet is featured on pages 499 and 500 of the excellent work “The History of the Steel Helmet” by Michael Hazelgrove and Branislav Radovic. The Lancashire Fusiliers served on the first day of the battle of the Somme in the attack on Beaumont-Hamel, the 4th July at Mailly-Maillet Wood, on the 5th of July at Acheux Wood and on the 8th July on the frontline in front of Beaumont Hamel. They saw further service in the same area from the 10th to the 30th October. An extremely rare and historic helmet.

Code: 96361