Black paint on British helmets

[Rabaul]

Hi, more questions on British paint schemes. I have a postwar tankers helmet. It's top coat is a nasty gloss dark pool table green. But underneath it is black this seems to be the base coat on bare metal it is thick and appears to actually be some bituminous compound, ie it is very old but if scratched is still tacky inside.
I read somewhere that for a period of time after the war all British helmets leaving factories were black. Is this true? If so when and for how long any idea why?
Regards
Rabaul

[tinlid]

Don't know anything about them being painted black from factory, end of the war they would have been painted dark brown.
Then sometime late 40's to early 50's olive green was the colour, but black was the colour of the tank corps, but who knows who has had a go at it over the last 70 odd years.
Some of the Mk4's were painted black though.

[Rabaul]

Thanks Tinlid,
Yes being a shell without a liner means it could have been anywhere. I'll see if I can find where I saw the bit about black painted helmets, I think they were talking about Turtles as well. Trouble with smart phones you can browse from anywhere anytime and lose track of were you saw things.

[leigh kitchen]

The Glosters wore black painted turtles (with back badge transfer) in Cyprus during the 1950's - 60's I believe.