Brodie Helmet
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The Brodie helmet, also called the shrapnel helmet or Tommy helmet, and in the United States known as a doughboy helmet, was a steel helmet designed and patented in 1915 by John L. Brodie. The British Army first utilised the helmet in September 1915, it was first used in battle in April 1916 at the Battle of St Eloi, and the United States Government initially purchased some 400,000 helmets from Britain before US-made helmets were designated M1917 from January 1918.
The Brodie helmet (also called the shrapnel helmet or Tommy helmet, and in the United States known as a doughboy helmet) was a steel helmet designed and patented in 1915 by John L. Brodie.
During the first year of World War I, none of the combatants offered steel helmets to their troops. The soldiers of most nations went into battle wearing simple cloth caps that offered virtually no protection from modern weapons. German troops were wearing the traditional leather Pickelhaube, with a covering of cloth to protect the leather.
The huge number of lethal head wounds that modern weapons were inflicting upon the French Army led them to introduce the first steel helmets in the summer of 1915. The first of these helmets were steel "skullcaps" worn under the cap, inspired by the tale of a soldier who survived a potentially lethal wound by wearing a bowl on his head. However it was soon replaced by the Adrian helmet (designed by August-Louse Adrian). It began to replace the traditional French kepi and was later adopted by the Belgian and Italian armies. At about the same time the British War Office had also seen a similar need for steel helmets.
The War Office Invention Department was asked to evaluate the French design but they decided that it was not strong enough and was too complex to afford swift manufacture. The design submitted by John L. Brodie offered advantages over the French design as it could be pressed from a single thick sheet of steel, giving it added strength. The British Army first utilised the helmet in September of 1915 but it was not until the spring of 1916 that the helmet began to be issued to British troops in large numbers. It was first used in battle in April of that year at the Battle of St Eloi. Troops from other countries in the British Empire also used the Brodie helmet as did the United States Armed Forces when they entered the war in 1917. The United States Government initially purchased some 400,000 helmets from Britain. From January 1918 the US Army began to use helmets manufactured in the US and these helmets were designated M1917.
The helmet had a shallow circular crown with a wide brim around the edge, a leather liner and a leather chinstrap. The helmet's "soup bowl" shape was originally designed to protect the wearer's head and shoulders from shrapnel falling from above. The shallow bowl design allowed the use of relatively thick steel that could be formed in a single pressing while maintaining the helmet's thickness. Although this made it more resistant to projectiles, the design offered less protection to the lower part of the head and neck than other designs. The steel helmet was known to the troops as a "tin hat" or for the officers a "battle bowler" and, with typical black humour, a bayonet was sometimes called a "tin opener".
The original design (Type A) was made of mild steel with a brim 1.5 - 2 inches wide. The Type A was in production for just a few weeks before the specification was changed and the Type B was introduced. The Type B was made of hardened manganese steel, had a narrower brim and had a more domed crown. In May 1916 the Mark I began to be issued. The Mark I had a matt finish textured with sawdust or crushed cork to prevent reflection. The Mark I was issued in large numbers and saw out the rest of the War. In 1917 the liner was modified to include a rubber cushion to make it more comfortable (this was not adopted for the M1917). Helmets were often painted with unit insignia towards the end of the war, and are often called "parade helmets" by collectors.
The basic Brodie patterned helmet was used by the US Army until 1942 with minor modifications including a totally new liner, and canvas chinstrap. This basic design was used well into World War II, until finally completely superseded by the M1 Helmet in 1942. The Brodie pattern continued to be used (as the slightly modified Mark II) by the British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II. During this period the helmet was also used by the Police, the Fire brigade and ARP wardens in Britain. There was also a 'civil' pattern available which was a little deeper but made from ordinary mild steel, and which was available for private purchase.
In 1944, the British replaced it with a significantly modified design known as the British Pattern 1944, 'Turtle' or, occasionally, the Mark III. This was a deeper helmet with a smaller brim and provided better protection, particularly at the sides.
In the late 1980s the British replaced steel helmets with kevlar ones.
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| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/brodie_helmet 6/12/05 |
Why 1915 Demanded Steel
The Brodie exists because the First World War exposed a gap between weapons and clothing. During the first year of World War I, none of the combatants offered steel helmets to their troops: soldiers went into battle wearing simple cloth caps that offered virtually no protection from modern weapons, and German troops wore the traditional leather Pickelhaube with a covering of cloth to protect the leather. The huge number of lethal head wounds that modern weapons were inflicting upon the French Army led them to introduce the first steel helmets in the summer of 1915, first as steel skullcaps worn under the cap, then replaced by the Adrian helmet designed by August-Louis Adrian. Britain reached the same conclusion at about the same time, but made a different engineering choice, and that choice is the Brodie's identity: evaluated against the French design, Brodie's could be pressed swiftly from one thick sheet of steel, strong because it had no joins, and simple enough for mass manufacture at wartime speed. First utilised in September 1915, issued in large numbers from the spring of 1916 and first used in battle that April at St Eloi, it equipped British Empire troops and then American forces entering the war in 1917, who knew it as the doughboy helmet.
Marks, Finishes and a Long Second War
The pattern developed in steps that collectors still use to date examples. The original Type A was made of mild steel with a brim 1.5 to 2 inches wide and was in production for just a few weeks before the Type B, made of hardened manganese steel with a narrower brim and a more domed crown, replaced it. In May 1916 the Mark I began to be issued, with a matt finish textured with sawdust or crushed cork to prevent reflection, and in 1917 the liner was modified to include a rubber cushion for comfort, a change not adopted for the American M1917. Helmets were often painted with unit insignia towards the end of the war and are often called parade helmets by collectors. Troops called the steel helmet a tin hat, officers' version a battle bowler, and a bayonet, with typical black humour, a tin opener. The basic design served the US Army until 1942, completely superseded by the M1 Helmet, and served British and Commonwealth forces through World War II as the Mark II, also used in that period by the Police, the Fire brigade and ARP wardens in Britain, with a slightly deeper civil pattern in ordinary mild steel available for private purchase. Steel itself was the final limit: in the late 1980s the British replaced steel helmets with kevlar ones, closing the era the Brodie had opened.
Common Questions
Why was the Brodie pressed from a single sheet of steel?
The design submitted by John L. Brodie could be pressed from a single thick sheet of steel, giving it added strength. The War Office Invention Department had decided the French design was not strong enough and was too complex to afford swift manufacture.
What was the soup bowl shape designed to do?
The helmet's soup bowl shape, a shallow circular crown with a wide brim, a leather liner and a leather chinstrap, was originally designed to protect the wearer's head and shoulders from shrapnel falling from above. The trade-off was less protection to the lower head and neck than other designs.
How long did the Brodie pattern stay in service?
The basic Brodie pattern was used by the US Army until 1942 and, as the slightly modified Mark II, by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II. In 1944 the British replaced it with the deeper British Pattern 1944, known as the Turtle or Mark III.