Canadian MkIII helmets

[flying pig]

Hey guys. I'd been looking for one of these for a while and hadn't turned up much when I came across this one on ebay. I hadn't been able to find much on them and hadn't really asked around about them, but when this one turned up I decided to take the chance.

It appears to be repainted unless they did them in different colors? I can't find a maker or date stamp on the shell, but with the textured paint I bet it would have been filled. Liner is marked V.M.C. 1945. Late war or maybe post war replacement? Its C^ marked and marked with number 107.

I wound up buying a second one from the fellow a week later, it has the original tan colored paint, netting and a Canadian marked 1945 liner as well. I can't wait to see that one up close, I had to have it too.

How did I do helmet guys?

Information

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[browningautorifle]

These are the last helmet we had before adopting the US M1 helmet. We started using them just before D-Day and they are slang termed the D-Day helmet. I can tell you from personal experience we painted our helmet with any shade of OD that we had at the time, usually truck paint or some for winter or desert as required. No detraction from value there as far as I'm concerned. The suspensions came in sizes as yours is marked. You changed the suspension and you were in business. They made them after the war too. I only have one of these helmets, it was a battlefield pickup while I was on peacekeeping duty and it was out in the green line. I have it here today, but it's not in as good shape as yours. Yours looks good.

[dieppe42]

Nice MkIII helmet.....as you probably know, they were issued to the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division (exclusively) and didn't come with liners.....just the shell. The order of the day was to swap out your liner from the MkII and stick it in this one. My cousin was a captain in the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, landed on D-day and wore one of these......I've got a picture of him somewhere with it. The later MkIV helmets had the lower strap rivet, are much more common and command much less in collectibility. The colour of your helmet is close to the original which was a "dirty-brown" shade, but as Jim mentioned above ..... it was the chap wearing it and availability of paint that dictated it's eventual tone. The stampings on these MkIII turtle helmets are about 2" back of the front brim and usually are stamped BMB with the 1944 date....some will be 1945, but the MkIII types were a SHORT PRODUCTION RUN, which is why they are collectible.

[browningautorifle]

Right...mine is the later one with the low rivets.

[flying pig]

Thank you for the comments and info guys. I will have to post the pictures of my other one tonight or tomorrow. It has a color similar to the P-37 webbing inside and for outside base with a very earthy brown over it. It has the same chinstrap as this one and a '45 dated liner. It has a net too. The finish on it is in a lot more worn shape but everything else is in great shape too

[flying pig]

Here's the other one!