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Canadian post war converted HSDR / HSAT

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Military and Wartime3361 of 7283vietnam sun helmet 1944 Dated Canadian HCDR
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    Posted 9 years ago

    kozowy1967
    (25 items)

    There is very little published information out there concerning this type of conversion and most of that can be found is in the book by Roger Lucy Tin Lids In the late 1940's and early 1950's as Canada began to rebuild her Airborne forces and the Mobile Strike Force. They had enough British AB helmets for the PPCLI, but the RCR and R22R did not have helmets.There was an extreme shortage of Mk II Airborne helmets and needing to out fit two other Army groups the decision was made to convert existing Mk I DR helmets that were in military stores to meet the expanding need.
    The HSDR's were turned 180° so the brow pad became a neck support the skirting was cut off ,dome pads were some times added as well, the shells were drilled out to accommodate new leather harnesses in the Mk I configuration the requirement had been for 500 of these converted AB helmets but it is possible that they converted some more the exact number is not known.
    The helmet body is dated to 1944 and was produced by Canadian Motorlamp Company ( C.L./C. ) and bares there stamp in the interior low on the skirt near the rim .
    The liners were manufactured by Backstay Standards ( BS ) and bare there company logo and date and can be found marked with the C-Broad arrow Canadian government acceptance stamp on the reverse of the sweat band and in the helmet body .
    This example is sporting an early British wartime produced camo net and the rim has been wrapped with a strip of rubber this could have been applied to protect the rim and or to tuck the nets under to help keep them better secured as well as having a strip of inner tube applied half way down the shell to help keep the nets in place.
    IMO the harness looks to be well used as is evident in the chin cup and adjacent pull strap and the copper and brass bolts,fittings and rivets are starting to show the signs of green verdigris which tells me that the harness has some genuine age to it.
    It has been speculated that they were either WW II British surplus and or post war Canadian and so after some detailed discussion with other Canadian collectors it was decided that this particular example was indeed produced at a Canadian Army Depot .

    Regards Mark

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