An Cosantóir

26 | VICKERS IRELAND'S 'GERMAN' HELMET O BY GNR TERENCE O'REILLY (DEFENCE FORCES LIBRARY) head injuries caused by low veloc- ity projectiles. As a result the major powers rushed to provide suitable steel helmets for their armies. The first to be issued in large numbers was the design of the French Intendent- General August-Louis Adrian (vaguely resembling a fireman's helmet), three million of which were on issue by the end of 1915. The British Army opted for the Brodie 'soup bowl' helmet which, although cast from hardened steel, did not provide lateral protection; nonetheless a million were on issue by mid-1916 and the helmet was later adopted by the US Army. Possibly the best design of the time was the Ger- man Stahlhelm which was the product of a rigorous selection process that included subjecting various designs to artillery fire. Over 300,000 'Model 1916' helmets were issued in that year, with an improved model issued two years later. Following the Irish Civil War and the ne harsh lesson learned in the first year of World War One was the large number of fatal establishment of the Irish Defence Forces, a decision was made to procure steel helmets for the new force. The Adrian design seemed to be an obvi- ous choice, having being adopted by several European armies as well as Mexico and Siam, and a small number were evaluated in 1927, featuring in Irish grenade and bayonet training had approached the German consulate in Dublin with a request that a sample of the Stahlhelm design be provided for evaluation, but the follow- ing month the German Foreign Office advised that they were prevented from supplying such material by the strictures of the Treaty of Versailles. The Govern- ment then approached the Brit- ish engineering firm of Vickers, a vast concern which included mu- nitions, ship-building and aircraft construction among its speciali- ties. An agreement was made for the provision of five thousand steel helmets throughout 1927, with some sources claiming that Vickers utilised requisitioned Ger- man machinery for this purpose. The Vickers Helmet, as it manuals printed that year. However the Adrian helmet provided limited protection due to its mild-steel con- struction, further weakened by aper- tures for ventilation, and the Defence Forces opted not to adopt the design. In November 1926, the Government became popularly known, was obviously modelled on the Stahl- helm and included two side lugs that provided ventilation and were also originally intended as mounts for an armoured visor. (The visor was rarely issued to the Germans and never to the Irish.) The main difference between the Stahlhelm and its Irish counterpart were the less severe angles of the Vick- ers, and two brackets mounted on the front to hold a black-painted version of the Defence Forces badge. Each Vickers helmet was serial numbered on the rear, lower inside rim under the inscription 'V Ltd.' Soft leather inter- nal fittings, installed in Dublin, were stamped 'T Smith & Son Dublin 1927.' An Cosantóir October 2012 www.dfmagazine.ie

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