The Brodie


The Helmet, Steel, Mark I & The American Model 1917

The Helmet, Steel, Mark I
The very name Brodie is something of a misnomer, as only one of the three helmets we will discuss here could accurately be called as such and it is neither of the two listed above. However, for the sake of clarity, I will use the term here to broadly reference this helmet form.
For the purposes of this site, all you really need to know is that there are two main versions of the Brodie helmet that saw service during the Great War: the Helmet, Steel, Mark I and Brodie’s Steel Helmet, War Office Pattern. The American version of the same helmet, the American Model 17, is very similar to the Mark I, but differentiating between the two is quite easy once you know what to look for.
While they might not have quite the flamboyance of the Adrian helmets, the utilitarian simplicity of the Brodie is a big part of its charm. Obviously, as the primary helmet of the U.K., Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and American troops, it has a strong association with the Great War and has since gone on to become iconic in its own right.
As the focus of this site is collecting specifically and not historical background, per se, I’ll again direct you to the excellent World War Helmets. There you will find complete information on the design, materials, manufacture, use of and differences between the British Helmet, Steel, Mark I and the American Model 17. An example of this helmet type can also be found in the Gallery. From a collecting standpoint there are a few additional points to bear in mind:
1     As the American Model 17 was not produced in sufficient quantities until quite late in the War, a great many American soldiers were instead issued the Mark I and used it exclusively throughout the War.
2.     The American Model 17 was generally superior in construction to the Mark I in several ways:
  • It was heavier and more resilient, utilizing 19-gauge steel with a higher manganese content than the 21-gauge steel of the Mark I.
  • The chinstrap bails were more robust (12-gauge iron vs. 16-gauge brass or steel for the Mark I) and secured with a steel mechanical rivet rather than the split-rivet used on British helmets.
  • The paper fit-adjustment instruction label in the crown of the Model 17 had a cloth backing, whereas the label in the Mark I did not.
  • Model 17 liners always utilized leather for the liner band, never cordite (ironically known as American cloth in Britain) as on the Mark I.
  • American helmets were generally more uniform in their shape.  
  • The ends of the protective outer rim on the Model 17 were neatly butted together, whereas the ends of the rim on the Mark I often overlapped by an inch or more.
3.     Liners of both the Mark I and the Model 17 contained an asbestos pad beneath the wool pad. This may be worth noting, but as the helmets will no longer be worn or excessively handled, it is probably of little concern to the collector.

Camouflage and Painted Divisional Emblems
Features sometimes found on American-used helmets that can be attractive to collectors are camouflage and painted divisional emblems. While these also appear on U.K. helmets to some degree, they seem to be much more prevalent amongst American divisions and especially with the use of camouflage. Unfortunately, there is very little photographic evidence for their use in actual combat during the Great War. More often than not, British troops wore helmet covers, and thus the painting of helmets was limited. There does seem to have been some use of camouflage painting, but as a rule it was simple, non-standardized and consisted primarily of what appears to be subtle earth-tones, rather than the brightly-colored helmets we sometimes find as collectors. It is therefore generally agreed that the vast majority of painted helmets were done post-war as take-home souvenirs by the troops themselves, in a display of divisional pride in the case of emblems or in emulation of the style of camouflage appearing on trophy German helmets.

Brodie’s Steel Helmet, War Office Pattern: The Rimless Brodie
The so-called “rimless” or “raw-edge” Brodie was the version of the British helmet produced from the Fall of 1915 through the Spring of 1916, known officially as Brodie’s Steel Helmet, War Office Pattern (henceforth, WOP). An example of this helmet is available for viewing in the Gallery.
Unique WOP helmet chinstrap bail
I strongly suspect that the overwhelming majority (upwards of 90%) of WOP helmets offered on eBay and even by militaria dealers to be actually Mark I helmets whose rim has either fallen off or been removed deliberately. It is so prevalent that I would refrain entirely from purchasing any helmet offered as a WOP helmet unless it also displayed at least one of the other characteristics associated with known, authentic WOP helmets. Look particularly for evidence of wear, rust or paint variation where the metal rim would have been previously. Original WOP liners were held in place only by a single rivet at the apex of the helmet and could easily pull through and fall out, so finding a WOP helmet with a replaced Mark I liner is not unusual. Many sources will tell you that the chinstrap bails were also often exchanged at this time for the larger Mark I bails to better accommodate the new liner, but the extent to which this was actually done is unknown. Personally, I don’t believe it was at all common and consider the presence of Mark I bails on a supposed WOP helmet to be suspect.
Authentic WOP helmets should have:
Original "apple-green" color
  • Distinctive “apple green” paint with a smooth finish. Note that this can be rather a shocking color to those unprepared, especially in photographs taken out-of-doors or with a flash, where it can appear to be a very bright, almost electric green. It may also have some dappled splotches of orange as a rudimentary camouflage. This original color was often painted-over during the War with the later khaki color used on the Mark I.
  • A near-circular shape with a slightly narrower bowl.
  • An oilcloth liner with six-tongues converging at the crown in the style of the Adrian helmet, but with the familiar leather band and rubber cushions.
  • Smaller chinstrap bails (10 mm tall) compared to those used on the Mark I (15 mm tall).
  • A two-piece, direct-attach leather chinstrap with a clawed steel buckle.

Original WOP helmets can be very difficult to find, especially complete and in good condition. However, with a good eye, you might just be able to spot one that other less-observant (or less-knowledgeable) collectors may have passed over, mistaking it for the much more common Mark I.

Note use of the French M2 gas mask.