WWII British para helmets?

[Dawes]

Rick...

Here's a couple of flashes that I blagged off ebay - I reckon that they're cheap and nasty fakes....

[Dawes]

here's one..

that I think's ok..I think it sold for 25 quid...

[Dawes]

couple of wings...

original standard British made jump wing above, locally made Middle East or Far East qualification wing below...

[Dawes]

interesting pic...

the chap on the left (Fred M****) wears a similar locally made jump wing, he was at the time serving in the Middle East Commando.

[Dawes]

another...

he also served with the Raiding Support Regiment, SAS style wings worn on his jump smock (above his civies)

[Tony Farrell]

Prague or GSM?

The more I look at that ribbon on that Czech BD blouse, the more I'm convinced it's a GSM ribbon, as it looks totally different from Rick's Prague medal scans - and others I've seen. Anyhow, Brit paras never liberated Prague did they? Perhaps the bloke might have seen service in Palestine in '48 before returning to Czechoslovakia, but if so, where's his other British ribbons? I think I'm chasing shadows here.

[Dawes]

Hi Tony....

Yes I admit it I must have got the Prague ribbon totally wrong, I originally matched it against a colour plate in one of those world medals of WWII type books. So I’m still stumped as to what the ribbon is. I am pretty sure it’s not a GSM, are they not purple-green-purple? This one is purple - mid blue - purple.

The other ribbons I’m pretty sure of except the last one, the gold and black one, it matches up with at least three Russian ribbons, their war medal, Order of Glory and an Imperial Order of St George so I guess it’s back to the library to trawl through the medal catalogues for me...

I admit to knowing next to nothing regarding medals of any nationality and that’s why I very much appreciate your thoughts on the two unidentified ribbons.

Your absolutly correct, the Paras weren’t anywhere near Prague but there’s nothing that links this blouse with any of the Parachute Regiments.

IF it is original it is a Czech Officers Blouse who MAY have been jump trained by the British. If he was qualified, he was able to wear the British qualification wings, he wouldn’t necessarily need to serve with a British parachute regiment and I would be surprised if he did. He could however have served in any number of other units - his own national unit, Inter-Allied Commando, SOE, MI6 or wherever people fluent in the Czech or German languages were needed - if he was jump trained he could wear the wings (unit insignia was not always worn on active service - only rank insignia). The wings could be of standard British pattern or could have been locally made and look very different to the standard pattern. Officers and men wore the wings either on the left of the blouse above the pocket, on the right shoulder or on the right lower cuff.

[Dawes]

Just back from another trip to the library...

My last sorry attempt to ID the ribbon...has anyone got a Czech Order of Labour ribbon (Rad Prace) - instituted in 1951 which I could compare my ribbon against?

[Adrian Stevenson]

British WW2 Para helmets.

Hi Guys, I got back from Arnhem last week. Several Dutch re-enactors were sporting the new repro first pattern "P type" para helmets from Pegasus militaria. I had a good look at them. They are very niceley made like all of Steve's products. They have the correct liners, which are very similar to a German M35/40 type liner. The chinstraps are very like a FJ helmet type, made from thin leather, unlike the later type of British Para helmet leather chinstraps which are rather thick. The "duck lip" rim is not quite the same as found on the original example found the the "Hartenstein" Airborne museum. A mate of mine that makes these for Steve was actually quite pleased that the profile is slightly different.
As per the last two years, we did a march in full kit with weapons from Dropzone "S" at Wolfheze to Arnhem bridge, which is 12km. Looking at the Dutch lads lids after this march showed them to be now very well sweat stained!
Cheers, Ade.