WWII BRITISH ARMY TANKER HELMET - MK2
Tanks were an integral component of the European battlefield in WWII. As the mechanized armored divisions
incremented, the armed forces realized the need to protect the soldiers maning the tanks. unlike the foot
soldiers, the tank crewmen were confined to small, cramped spaces. surrounded by metal levers, pipes, hoses. the
danger of suffering a head injury was incremented. The solution was to develop helmets with more padding.
Hence the creation of the tanker helmet.
The helmet featured here is a fine example of a British WWII tanker helmet. Manufactured by the the Empire Rubber
Company, and used in the early 1940s before the introduction of the steel-shelled Armored troops helmet. This is
a MK 2 version.
The MK2 helmet has a large piece of rubber strip which covered the forehead section.
The provocative design and historic value have made the British WWII Tanker helmet a very desirable military
collectible.
This is a rear view of the WWII British Tanker helmet. As it can be seen, holes were drilled in the back to
allow the string to be ran through. This gave the suspension of the helmet more stability and strength. In
this case the strings were painted to match the helmet.
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Most modern military helmets saw their birth during World War One. The need to address the
multitude of head wounds in the trenches was the foundation for the widespread development
and deployment of helmets.
This section discusses several of the military helmets of the world.
The helmets from various armies came in a variety of designs. There were a large number
of different types developed. In many cases the use of the spilled over into non-military
applications such as police and civil defense. most of the helmets during WWI and WWII were
constructed of a combination of metal and leather.
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The helmet's suspension system consists of several canvis strips covered with leather. Laced together by a shoe
lace in the center of the helmet. This "suspended" the helmet over the tanker's head and made it more comfortable
to wear.
A paper containing the size, manufacturer name, date and the British Army broad arrow symbol has been glued to
the inside of the shell. Sometimes part of the information was stamped with ink in and around the same
location. The date, 1940, indicated that this is an early war tanker helmet.
The following photo is a view of the profile of the tanker helmet. The shell is hard and solid. The front
protrusion, or pad, is made of rubber. It is soft. that is the part that would offer protection from the
parts and instruments near the tanker's face.
The author is not aware that this type of headgear is currently being
reproduced.
However, there is no guarantee that it is not. in many cases
it is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because
the quality of the reproductions is improving. The collector must become familiarized with
the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of this headgear.
Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of
the collectible.
If you have an interest is seeing other British military helmets, you can do so by
going to our British Military headgear
identification guide. Where we cover multiple pieces.
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