British Pre WW2 helmet help/advice needed

[mnmkeller]

So i purchased this at auction not being sure of the origin country or really much of anything.

We were leaning towards Belgian but were pleasantly surprised that it is British. Based on appearances we think it was preww2 production with a 1945 liner that is cracked but intact.

The outer paint is the dark green post ww2 color that is common. However there are visible areas of white peeking out from under the dark green so is this likely a wardens helmet that was put back into service?

Some have said "it is a common helmet with nothing special about it so don't bother asking questions" but to be honest if my thinking is that even a wardens helmet has more history than a random repurposed model.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions about how to do a restore?

Information

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[Mk VII]

BMB is Briggs Motor Bodies of Dagenham, in which Ford UK had a controlling interest, and later purchased outright.

[browningautorifle]

Can you determine a heat lot code along with the BMB?

[mnmkeller]

Best I can make out is 026 or 02C maybe. The green paint is thick enough to make the numbers a bit featureless.

[browningautorifle]

This site has forums that are already laid out with this sort of thing... Helmets

[Flying10uk]

Sometimes they put a date on the end of the chinstrap clip riveted to the helmet, if you look carefully. It's the half round formed bit that the chinstrap clips into that you need to look at. If there is no date on the chinstrap clips then the date may be partially hidden by the clips, as well as the paint on the helmet shell. For some reason, on some helmets, the date got put where the chinstrap clips were going to be riveted meaning that the date is partially hidden.

Put the helmet shell on a dead flat surface. If it rocks backwards and forwards slightly it may be a MK1* shell (notice I say "may") but if it doesn't rock at all it will be a MK2 shell.

It's the later type of elasticated chinstrap.

Personally I wouldn't "mess" with the finish. Just leave it as is.

[Peter Laidler]

On the other hand............ If it were mine and being a bog standard(?) wartime helmet,, I'd use thinners to carefully wipe away the layers of paint, a bit at a time and find out what is underneath. That is where the real history comes in

[mnmkeller]

That's my feeling...I really would like to see if it is a wardens helmet as that would explain the bits of white.

[Flying10uk]

That's my feeling...I really would like to see if it is a wardens helmet as that would explain the bits of white.

It is very hard not to take off the paint that you don't want to take off but remove the paint that you do want to remove. That is my experience with a number of helmets using a number of different paint removal methods. It sounds easy until you actually try doing it but you may have more luck than me.

[browningautorifle]

At the very top of pic 6 I see a bit of what appears to be UN blue...under the green.