Original British U.S. WWI Texture Painted Mk 1 Brodie Helmet by Thomas Firth & Sons Ltd of Sheffield with Punched Hole for EGA - Complete
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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 great textured paint that was a very popular paint scheme used by all armies that fought during WWI. This example dates to Post-June 1917, as there is a rubber ring under the wool pad of the liner. The front of the helmet has a punched hole, which was likely done to attach a Marine Corps EGA (Eagle Globe Anchor) badge, often done by Marines toward the end of the war.
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.
The shell is maker-marked with a stamping on the underside of the rim that reads FKS 20. This maker marking indicates that this is a British produced shell, which is further indicated by the split rivets used to retain the chin strap bales. The “FKS” is the marking for Thomas Firth & Sons Ltd of Sheffield who manufactured helmets from 1916-1918. This firm also produced shells marked “F” and most likely used “FS” according to research.
The helmet retains the original British issue liner and chinstrap, with an oilcloth lining in good order. The chinstrap is now a bit weak and heavily crazing.
A great example, ready to fit with an EGA and display.
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