A Canadian Tanker's Helmet

Canada; The liner shell is fabricated from cork, with a six-panel cloth fabric exterior incorporating a black lacquered finish, a reinforcing strip around the entire circumference of the helmet at the lip, a 34 mm wide shock-absorbing pad covering the entire front of the liner, three ventilation holes with black rubber inserts in place, one on either side and one at the rear. The interior of the dome is lined in white cotton, stamped in black ink with the Canadian Broad Arrow insignia and size marked "7 1/4" handwritten in black ink at the rear, a 45 mm wide butterscotch-coloured leather sweatband runs around the circumference, the ends of which are stitched together at the rear, an olive green sleeve housing a gray rubber strip acting as added protection under the sweatband, with three olive green webbed straps stitched in place to the body of the helmet in the dome in six locations, the straps interlocked. The black leather "scrum" (headpiece) has a chocolate brown wool underside, with a white cotton label inscribed in blue ink "42" sewn in place on the underside on the band linking the two earpieces at the rear, the earpieces linked together at the front via a narrow black leather strip with a chocolate brown wool underside and connected to the body of the scrum via black elastic straps on either side. The two earpieces of the scrum have adjustable pleated openings and black cotton lace tie closures, in order to house the headphones (which are not included here), with olive green webbed chin straps suspended from either side, the right strap with a hook, the left strap with four adjustable receiving bars incorporating eyes for the aforementioned hook, and when joined together, ensures a snug fit under the chin. The scrum is secured in place to the body of the helmet by a single black rubber button and a black cotton tie on either side at the front, along with three olive green webbed straps fed through the three aforementioned olive green webbed straps stitched in place in the dome. The helmet measures 200 mm x 247 mm x 130 mm in height, exhibiting scattered chipping, crazing and scuffing in the black lacquered finish exterior, with touches of green paint on the shock-absorbing pad, very light soiling to the leather sweatband, the leathers in both the sweatband and scrum remaining very supple. Near extremely fine.

Footnote: In the summer of 1940, the Department of National Defence opted to adopt a Canadian-made version of the British Helmet. Some 12,000 were made and were known in Canadian service as the "Helmet, Crash, Tank Battalion". They were not issued overseas, but remained in service in Canada until 1966.