Metropolitan Vickers impressed steel helmet
 

Despite its shocking condition I bought this steel helmet as I have never seen one with an impressed logo before. It has clearly been repainted in non original colours but it has the Logo V M impressed into the body. I am guessing that this might stand for Vauxhall Motors but I may be completely wrong.

Has anyone any knowledge of a similar helmet?

It might be offered for sale once I know what it is,

Metropolitan Vickers
 

Hi Simon, Not Vauxhall Motors, see this webpage for your logo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrop...s_wavegude.jpg

Regards John

John,

many thanks for the positive identification, I will investigate further.

Simon

Seeing that helmet painted in those colours has just brought back a memory to me ! When I was a youngster (back in the late 1960s), my grandparents had a boarding house in Blackpool, not too far from Bloomfield Road where Blackpool FC's ground was. Blackpool played in an orange coloured strip which led to their nickname "The Tangerines". On Lytham Road in Blackpool there was an old style army surplus shop (whose name , sadly, escapes me - possibly Swansons ?). the enterprising owner of the shop had hand painted WW2 Tommy Helmets, 1944 Pattern "Turtle Helmets" and wooden WW1 gas rattles in bright orange ! It was not unusual to see football fans heading to the match wearing steel helmets and carrying gas rattles - I wonder if any of those items still exist and if they will cause their current owners to wonder why they were painted orange !

PL

That is interesting, someone has scratched 1966-1977 on to the outer rim so there is obviously some significance to the colour scheme.

Metropolitan Vickers made Avro Manchesters and later Avro Lancasters under licence during the war amongst many other things.

Possibly a light hearted retirement piece for someone retiring from the RAF after 21 years service , the colour scheme meant to represent an RAF roundel ?
PL

Very possibly, but it is coming off as I will take it back to as an original condition as possible.

Does anyone know if the Helmets of the British Home Front Helmets mentions the Metropolitan Vickers helmet?

There is a maker's mark and date inside the rim. It appears to read F & L 1/1939. This would seem to indicate that the helmet was made by Fisher & Ludlow of Birmingham.

There ia a name on the chin strap, it is barely visible but appears to read. J Balfour.

Given that the Metropolitan Vickers Company had a factory in Stretford, Manchester, I may have identified the original owner. Jack Balfour. He is living at, 7 Cornbrook Street, Old Trafford, Manchester in 1939 and is described as an Electrical Cable winder and is engaged on home front duties described as, A.R.P. Work Decontamination.

A relative in the same household is described as an Electrical Cable Engineer.

https://manchesterhistory.net/manche...etrovicks.html

Very interesting helmet, great research.

Thanks Jerry, it is always good to let the object tell its story if it possibly can.

I have now stripped the upper surface of the helmet back to bare metal. I would have left it untouched if it had had its original paint, no matter what the condition was. However, as this was so far from original I have attempted a restoration.

I have just given it a coat of red oxide, the paint is still wet in the photographs. Once dry and rubbed down I will spray it. I am not sure what colour, but possibly a matt black. If anyone knows of another example of this helmet, I would love to know what colour it was.

Is it possible that it was the blue that someone painted over?

Your embossed logo of Metropolitan Vickers is shown on P. 136.
Doesnt give any further information that you dont have already.

regards

Does it show the logo on a helmet and, if so, what colour is the helmet?