2014 was a stellar collecting year for me and I was able to add some very nice Canadian Mk II's to my collection through out the year and just when I thought it was over this little gem popped up .
I was very fortunate to have this Mk II offered to me by a friend and and fellow collector here in Canada and after a little minor negotiating over the price I added it to my shelf.
Good war time flashed examples are getting increasingly hard to find do to the small war time production numbers on Canadian Mk II helmets and the fact they were used by the Canadian Army for just abut 2 1/2 decades after war with a good many of them being repainted in the early 50's either a semi gloss and or gloss OD green as per regulations as the Canadian Military under went restructuring in 1952/1953 so any flashed examples left in Depots and or military stores that were put back into active service post war would have had there flashes obliterated .
Consequently I was very happy to be able to add this 1942 G.S.W Mk II steel lot batch letter code A P to my collection it is sporting a very nice early hand painted flash to the Black Watch with this style of flash being a carry over from the type of flash used during the first world war it was re adopted early on in either late 1939 or early 1940 with known examples being found applied to British produced Mk II helmets alike that were used by the Canadian Black Watch that served with the BEF and took part in the Dieppe raid in August of 1942 .
To the best of my knowledge this was the last time this variation of helmet flash and or insignia would have been used in a Theater Of Operations.
It would have also been applied just under the shoulder titles of tunics and or BD's as seen in this configuration and was abandoned very shortly after the reconstitution of the Black Watch in England after there return from Dieppe.
Regards Mark
I was very fortunate to have this Mk II offered to me by a friend and and fellow collector here in Canada and after a little minor negotiating over the price I added it to my shelf.
Good war time flashed examples are getting increasingly hard to find do to the small war time production numbers on Canadian Mk II helmets and the fact they were used by the Canadian Army for just abut 2 1/2 decades after war with a good many of them being repainted in the early 50's either a semi gloss and or gloss OD green as per regulations as the Canadian Military under went restructuring in 1952/1953 so any flashed examples left in Depots and or military stores that were put back into active service post war would have had there flashes obliterated .
Consequently I was very happy to be able to add this 1942 G.S.W Mk II steel lot batch letter code A P to my collection it is sporting a very nice early hand painted flash to the Black Watch with this style of flash being a carry over from the type of flash used during the first world war it was re adopted early on in either late 1939 or early 1940 with known examples being found applied to British produced Mk II helmets alike that were used by the Canadian Black Watch that served with the BEF and took part in the Dieppe raid in August of 1942 .
To the best of my knowledge this was the last time this variation of helmet flash and or insignia would have been used in a Theater Of Operations.
It would have also been applied just under the shoulder titles of tunics and or BD's as seen in this configuration and was abandoned very shortly after the reconstitution of the Black Watch in England after there return from Dieppe.
Regards Mark
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