A First War Mark II Tanker's Helmet

British-made, steel, non-magnetic, in black, smooth finish, with a protective edge in a magnetic steel. There is a reinforced magnetic, die-cut steel panel extending from one side to the other, the panel held in place by the tabs of the rivets holding the chin strap loops in place. It comes with a wire that extends the distance between the two loops on the underside of the helmet, the wire fed through a small loop on the front, securing it to the sub-structure of the helmet, the wire itself fed through thirteen loops of the chain mail, suspending the remaining chain mail to a depth of 80 mm. This enables the chain mail to dangle in front of the wearer's eyes, in order to protect him from various pieces of shrapnel while in battle. There are raised hooks placed on either side on the exterior of the helmet, the hooks slipped under the rivets holding the underlying chin strap loops and facing towards the back of the helmet, enabling the chain mail to be lifted up and the ends of the strands of the chain to be looped around the hooks, keeping the chain mail out of the visual range of the wearer when not in use. Inside, steel-framed cradle supporting a blackened canvas liner with underlying burlap support and leather backer, mesh support with drawstring, stamped "HS" and "145" ("HS" indicating the manufacturer, Hadfield Limited of Sheffield (1916-1919); and "145" the steel batch number) on the underside of the helmet at the front, with pressed fabric in the dome, the hardware intact. The helmet measures 295 mm x 310 mm x 110 mm, with minor bubbling on the exterior, surface wear on both the underside and the exterior, surface rust on the die-cut steel panel, missing its chinstrap, slight tears in the blackened canvas liner, the leather support strap in the dome having severed on either side with only a stub remaining, as worn. (C:4)