WW2 British Motor cyclists steel helmet.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Guys, here is a lid that I picked up from a friend at the weekend, the same chap who sold me the Desert Rats insignia featured on this forum yesterday. I have never got around to picking up one of these helmets before, as they are not that hard to find and are often cheap.
However, like all "common" WW2 items, someday they will suddenly dry up and no longer be around. So I parted with a tenner for it
Cheers, Ade.

[Adrian Stevenson]

As can be seen condition is very good, unissued. The colour paint is the same as found on the Airborne steel helmet.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Mint interior. This maker, Briggs Motor Bodies, also produced the Airborne steel helmet.

[DJT]

Ade,

A tenner? How do you do it? Super lid

I bought one just like that (also 1942 dated) for about 20 euro last year and thought that was a good deal

They typically sell for around $45 USD but I saw an extremely well worn one with lots of charactor sell for about $80+ on Ebay recently.

If your buying one I would go for the 42 dated ones as they are not as common as the 44 dated ones which are abundant.

They are a very cool helmet and as Ade pointed out have the same shell as the Airborne helmets.

I know alot of re-enactors turn these perfectly good original helmets into fake paras which definitely means that sometime in the future these will become harder to find and more expensive.

Regards,

Des

[DJT]

Forgot to add that I constantly see sellers on ebay and elsewhere "confuse" these as British Para helmets. Seems weird to me how you never ever see a seller confuse a Para helmet as a DR helmet though

Regards,

Des

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Des, thanks for the comments on the helmet. Just got to decide who's collection it will go into, mine or Lez's as the ATS "DonR's" wore the same helmet

I too have seen lots of these sold as "Airborne" via E bay.

Here is a photo of one of the Airlanding Battalions of 6th Airborne Division. Note the despatch rider standing in line next to the Medic. Note he wears the M/C helmet and boots.

I taken my Jeep to be MOT'ed (annual road safety test here in the UK) to a garage in Nottingham where the owners late father was a "DonR". He has his Dads wartime uniform on display which includes his early style pulp helmet, boots, breeches, leather jerkin & map case and also his ARP white painted steel helmet.

Cheers, Ade.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Guys, as we have been talking helmets over the past few weeks, I thought I would bring this old thread back to life, mainly as it shows a mint unissued lid.

Cheers, Ade.

[boyt44]

I have several restored BSA M20 motorcycles,and I have collected all the related DR gear also. I recently bought this well-worn DR helmet from a friend. Is it possible that anyone might recognize the insignia on the side?

[boyt44]

Here is another DR helmet I bought a number of years ago at a show. No one had any idea what the insignia on the side was, and I did not pay any premium for it. It somewhat resembles the Airborne Pegasus,but without the rider. The helmet is wartime-dated,but who knows when the picture was painted on the side. Does anyone have any idea about it?

[leigh kitchen]

I have several restored BSA M20 motorcycles,and I have collected all the related DR gear also. I recently bought this well-worn DR helmet from a friend. Is it possible that anyone might recognize the insignia on the side?

Post WWII Belgian use? The insignia looks like the lions face on a shield halved red & white. Somebody's bound to know the significance of that badge.
If I had any books to hand, the first place that I'd check would be the front cover of Guido Rosigneli's books on insignia WWII & post WWII, then I'd have a look inside.