What happened to the helmets?

[Gunner Bailey]

George

There are photos from both wars of huge stacks of discarded helmets. These were often taken to scrap yards and recycled but in other cases these piles sat in the yards until the owners decided that had more value as souvenirs than as scrap metal. Then they come back onto the market.

John

[James Kastner]

I know one Stalheim helmet was brought back by my great uncle Anthony Kastner. His wife promptly made it into a planter and hung it from a tree in the yard of their farm located just North of Claire City South Dakota USA (lat=45.9017856344, lon=-97.102605119.). My father saw it was a child in the 1940's and related to me in the 1970's that it had rusted out and was thrown on the "rock pile". As a teen, I dug through the pile with no joy. I'm convinced it's still there waiting for me, though after 92 years, I wonder the condition.

[pmaasz]

I worked for some years at the offices and factory of what was originally called Expanded Rubber Company Ltd, later -and Plastics Ltd, and later still the Foams Division of BXL, then BP Chemicals, and now it is called Zotefoams Ltd. The buildings at 675 Mitcham Road Croydon were built, I remember, on an old tramyard, and I remember also being told that when the foundations were being excavated they found 'hundreds' if not thousands of WW1 steel helmets. Memory can play a few tricks so if I say it tells me they were German helmets I may be wrong and they were actually Brodies. Perhaps there is someone out there who also knows or can check the story.

[zippy.72]

About 10 years ago, the Hemswell Antiques centre near Lincoln had a room literally full of French helmets. Not sure if they were WW1/WW2 but there were hundreds of the things!

[Chief_Chum]

"About 10 years ago, the Hemswell Antiques centre near Lincoln had a room literally full of French helmets. Not sure if they were WW1/WW2 but there were hundreds of the things!"

Hi Zippy,

They were all WW2 shells with no liners. The guys at Hemswell sold the last big batch to a Russian dealer a few years ago. They did get in another small batch which we mopped up last year for film and TV work.

Taff

[Rob Chester]

I remember seeing a photo of German helmets being steamrollered to make a road surface during WW1, but I can't remember where I saw it?

Roger

My late Great Uncle told me that he remebered large numbers of helmets and other Great war bric-a-brac being used as hard core for the construction of the "Purley Way" in Croydon.

[pmaasz]

And not far from the Mitcham Road location that I referred to. Why, I wonder, were there so many helmets in that area? Was there a dump where ex-military debris was collected?

[Paddy 60th]

My late Great Uncle told me that he remebered large numbers of helmets and other Great war bric-a-brac being used as hard core for the construction of the "Purley Way" in Croydon.

Construction of the Purley Way was started in December 1919 and completed in 1925 so the timeline is right. I live not far away and will keep an eye out for any roadworks there and have a look in the holes !!

Roger

[pmaasz]

Roger: You might, if you were so inclined, go and 'knock on the door' of Zotefoams Ltd on Mitcham Road and ask if they still have any archive records of the helmets I remember being told about...

[Paddy 60th]

Roger: You might, if you were so inclined, go and 'knock on the door' of Zotefoams Ltd on Mitcham Road and ask if they still have any archive records of the helmets I remember being told about...

I'll certainly try and do that at some time.

Roger

[geraint]

Some Divisional pioneer battalions were also allocated captured helmets to be used as reinforcemnent in their earthworks. Needs must; and all that!

[grizwalt]

My family had old rusty ones used to feed the pigs !

[CarylW]

Were any of them painted black and used by ARP wardens in WW2? I saw one for sale recently with s big white "W" painted on the front and wondered if it had previously been a WW1 helmet, It was obviously hand painted and I understand that a lot of Great War veterans were ARP. Or were they completely different helmets?