Two WWI Military Doughboy Helmets

[dttuner]

Hi Folks. Need some help identifying these two doughboy style helmets.

First, what looks to be a WWI "civil defense" helmet. Liner and chinstrap attached.
2 inscriptions (my best guess) -
"A Fischer Sector 13"
"A. Tobias Sect Post 4, Zone 2"








#2 Looks like a WWI doughboy helmet, but much more of a "dome/bell" shape.
Deeper bowl than the civil defense helmet. Liner, but no chinstrap.
No markings that I can see.
Looks like it has a bullet ricochet!

Information

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[Flying10uk]

I don't think they are WW1 but in my opinion they are WW2. The first example looks like a British service helmet but with a different lining and attachment, Australian perhaps??? The second looks like what I call a civilian type helmet the type which was issued to Fire-Watchers. The civilian helmet was a cheaper, lighter helmet to the service type.

[Paul S.]

They look like construction safety helmets from the 1950s (more likely) or 1960s to me. There is a John Wayne movie about Red Adair, the oil well firefighter, in which he and his blokes wear the similar helmets. I think the movie is titled 'Hellfighters'.

[dttuner]

I don't think they are WW1 but in my opinion they are WW2. The first example looks like a British service helmet but with a different lining and attachment, Australian perhaps??? The second looks like what I call a civilian type helmet the type which was issued to Fire-Watchers. The civilian helmet was a cheaper, lighter helmet to the service type.

Gives me something to go on. Off to search Australian or UK helmets.

They look like construction safety helmets from the 1950s (more likely) or 1960s to me. There is a John Wayne movie about Red Adair, the oil well firefighter, in which he and his blokes wear the similar helmets. I think the movie is titled 'Hellfighters'.

Which helmet are you referring to? The "civilian" one?

[Aragorn243]

Both are US Civil Defense helmets. Pretty common and unfortunately not worth very much. I picked up a nearly mint one last summer for about $20.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/uplo...1312487480.jpg

They are from WWII.

[dttuner]

$10 each?

[Aragorn243]

They are probably worth $20-$30 each.

[dttuner]

Put these up for sale in the WTS section, fyi.

[T6818]

My dad was a sector warden (Civil defense, Air raid wardens) in 1942-45. Sector Wardens were assigned neighborhoods in their towns/cities and when blackouts were issued were to check with their neighborhood wardens who were walking their neighborhood's streets to make sure blackout curtains and other measures were being taken to prohibit light showing. In daytime, if there had been bombing raids, Air Raid Wardens were trained to assist civil authorities-- even giving first aid if necessary to casualties-- or man fire hoses, rescue people from rubble, etc. Think of London in Nazi bombing raids. Fortunately in the US, none of the training had to be put in use--except for drills. Wardens were all volunteers, and under the direction of the US Army Reserve. I have seen both types of helmets and both are Warden helmets. in the The decal on the top one is the insignia of the Wardens, civilian defence. The grey webbing on the lower one is definitely US- same as M1 Army interior. Great artifacts-- painted white for blackout visibility, and for use much as construction workers use helmets today. Nice going--they are true artifacts of national defense of the US in wartime.

[Flying10uk]

It's worth remembering that America used the British style of steel helmet from WW1 until at some point after it joined WW2 when it adopted a new style of it's own design. The early British style of helmet used by the U.S.A. up until the very early 1940s often seems to be forgotten. I don't think that the first helmet is of British manufacture because of the lining but is of the British style and if it's not of Australian origin the other obvious place of manufacture is the U.S.A.. I have not heard of America ever buying it's helmets from the U.K. and would guess that they made their own but just copied the general style of the British helmet. As I have already stated the second helmet looks like the cheaper lighter British "civilian" helmet or an American version/copy. I have heard of one or two stories of, once America adopted it's new style of helmet, there were a number of incidents of soldiers from all armies of making the slightly embarrassing school boy error of mistaking the American helmet for the German helmet or vice versa. One can imagine this happening at night or in poor light.