Original Item: Only One Available. This is a lovely example of the scarce WWI British MkI Brodie helmet, which was also the same type that was issued to American forces in the beginning of the US involvement during The Great War. The shell features vibrant panel camouflage paint that was a very popular paint scheme used by all armies that fought during WWI.

At the outbreak of World War I, none of the combatants provided steel helmets to their troops. Soldiers of most nations went into battle wearing cloth, felt, or leather headgear that offered no protection from modern weapons.

A significant partial exception to this lack was the German pickelhelm. Like other army helmets of 1914, it was made out of leather; but it also had a significant subset of steel inserts that offered some head protection. This includes the top spike, originally used to stop strikes from an enemy hand-held saber.

The huge number of fatal head wounds that modern artillery weapons inflicted upon the French Army led them to introduce the first modern steel helmets in the summer of 1915. The first French helmets were bowl-shaped steel "skullcaps" worn under the cloth caps. These rudimentary helmets were soon replaced by the Model 1915 Adrian helmet, designed by August-Louis Adrian. The idea was later adopted by most other combatant nations.

This is a gorgeous Mk. I Helmet shell with gorgeous camouflage paint in red, yellow, and blues. One side of the helmet is painted:

A.E.F.
FRANCE
1914 WORLD WAR 1918

The other side of the helmet is painted:

Arrived in France
July 17, 1918

The shell is maker-marked with a stamping on the underside of the rim that reads FS 126, for manufacture by Thomas Firth & Sons Ltd of Sheffield. It is partially obscured under the heavy paint and can be difficult to read. The split pins on the chinstrap bales indicate this as a British made helmet.

This is a wonderful example of a unique camouflage pattern from World War I. Don’t miss it!

History of the M1917 Helmet
The M1917 was the US Army's first modern combat helmet, used from 1917 and during the 1920s, before being replaced by the M1917A1. The M1917A1 helmet was an updated version of the M1917 and initially used refurbished WW1 shells.

The M1917 is a near identical version of the British Mk.I steel helmet, and it is important to note that when the US joined the Great War in 1917 they were initially issued with a supply of around 400,000 British made Mk.Is, before production began state side. The M1917 differed slightly in its lining detail, and exhibited US manufacture markings.

M1917 helmet liners typically show a paper label at the crown and the dome rivet head. The liner is set up as on the British versions, with an oilcloth band and net configuration, attached to a leather strap, riveted to the shell. The chinstrap is leather with steel buckle.