Just found this at a local antique shop!

[matthunt101]

Found this at alocal antique shop today while on my lunch break and just had to snatch it up. Best I can tell the liner is 1942 by VMC, here in Canada. Anyone have any ideas what the red W marking stands for? Best I've found so far is I believe an Air Raid Warden of some kind, however those were generally marked with a white W instead...
Here's a couple pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 

[Grock-co]

I had one just like that as a kid in the mid 80's, it also had a red "W" on it also, I also have no idea what it stands for. The one I had was destroyed years ago, the old man cut it up for the curved steel, for what ever project he was working on at the time, probably for some crap piece of ancient farm machinery.

 

[matthunt101]

I had one just like that as a kid in the mid 80's, it also had a red "W" on it also, I also have no idea what it stands for. The one I had was destroyed years ago, the old man cut it up for the curved steel, for what ever project he was working on at the time, probably for some crap piece of ancient farm machinery.

Interesting....I'm probably just going to stick mine up on the wall for the foreseeable future haha.

 

[Claven2]

It's called a Brodie helmet. Hope that helps.

 

[matthunt101]

It's called a Brodie helmet. Hope that helps.

I believe it to be a post WW1 pre WW2 shell which would make it a Helmet, Steel, Mark I, or similar variant. However the liner is 1942 dated made by the Viceroy Manufacturing Company of Toronto. I'm just trying to find out what the red W stands for, or corrections on the information I believe is correct.

 

[Robbs]

Looks like a standard Mk II helmet. Probably made by the Canadian Lamp Company (CLC) in 1942. CLC and the date should be stamped on the lower rim of the back of the helmet, where the 2 rim crimp marks are. Red W is for air raid warden. There were lots of these helmets issued to air raid warden volunteers in many Canadian communities during the war.

 

[Claven2]

I believe it to be a post WW1 pre WW2 shell which would make it a Helmet, Steel, Mark I, or similar variant. However the liner is 1942 dated made by the Viceroy Manufacturing Company of Toronto. I'm just trying to find out what the red W stands for, or corrections on the information I believe is correct.

Brodie is a general pattern of helmet, not a manufacturer or specific variant designation.

As mentioned elsewhere, there will be a maker's mark, it just might be obscured by paint or grime. It's likely a early 1940's helmet, but you need to find the stamp to be certain.

 

[Brookwood]

I believe it to be a post WW1 pre WW2 shell which would make it a Helmet, Steel, Mark I, or similar variant. However the liner is 1942 dated made by the Viceroy Manufacturing Company of Toronto. I'm just trying to find out what the red W stands for, or corrections on the information I believe is correct.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a white W for air warden and a red W for fire warden?

Brookwood

 

[XRCD011]

It's called a Brodie helmet. Hope that helps.

John Leopold Brodie invented the Mk 1 (WW1) helmet in 1915 that went on to be further produced/modified and became the Mk2 helmet of WW2. Anyways check to see if the OPs helmet is magnetic or not as 155,000 where made in mild steel for Civil Defense. I very nice example you have of a Mk2.

 

[matthunt101]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a white W for air warden and a red W for fire warden?

Brookwood

This is what I've come to believe as well from the little research I've been able to do.

John Leopold Brodie invented the Mk 1 (WW1) helmet in 1915 that went on to be further produced/modified and became the Mk2 helmet of WW2. Anyways check to see if the OPs helmet is magnetic or not as 155,000 where made in mild steel for Civil Defense. I very nice example you have of a Mk2.

It is indeed slightly magnetic.

Brodie is a general pattern of helmet, not a manufacturer or specific variant designation.

As mentioned elsewhere, there will be a maker's mark, it just might be obscured by paint or grime. It's likely a early 1940's helmet, but you need to find the stamp to be certain.

I've been looking for the mark, however I've thus far been unable to find it. I've even used a flashlight and look at different angles to see if I could see anything. I'll have to keep looking however, and hopefully eventually I'll find something.

 

[Blastattack]

John Leopold Brodie invented the Mk 1 (WW1) helmet in 1915 that went on to be further produced/modified and became the Mk2 helmet of WW2. Anyways check to see if the OPs helmet is magnetic or not as 155,000 where made in mild steel for Civil Defense. I very nice example you have of a Mk2.

So what were the other helmets made of? Stainless? Aluminum?

 

[XRCD011]

Manganese, in 1942 the supply of manganese was harder to source from the US as they started ramping up their war production and what steel was available had to be subjected to a pickling process. I have a couple of Mk2 where one (1942) is not at all magnetic and the other (1940)"very slightly" magnetic and is a RO and Co (Brit?) made helmet that looks like it had been through a refurb/reissue. An excellent source of info on Canadian steel helmets is Roger Lucys booklet titled Tin Lids and is money well spent on the subject.