British civil defence mk.11 number.2 helmets of which there are four submarks. these where used by civil defence as they where made from inferior metal or been rejected at manufacture for front line use,Although 700,000 were issued to the Home Guard Because of a shortage of front line helmets, all the Home Guard ones were painted khaki. The way to tell the difference between the marks are holes drilled into the brim adjacent to the chinstrap securing lugs. The mk.11 number.2A has one hole and is made of mangonese steel the same as the military ones but have been rejected for front line use. The mk.11 number.2B has two holes and has a mild steel strip see the spotters helmet. Mk.11 number.2C with three holes is made of mild steel plate, The mk.11 number.2D has four holes and it is made of mild steel. There is also a version of the mk.11 which was known to have been fitted with a lining made from sections of rubber and a crudely made chinstrap which was riveted directly to the helmet body, Its thought they where only issued to factory civil defence units.

Spotters helmet MK.11 no.2B. Its seen better days but still recognizable. It has a MK.11 liner and a MK.11 chinstrap. I have seen a news reel where an aircraft spotter wearing one of these helmets is standing on the roof of a factory when he see's a German aircraft approaching he rings down to the factory floor and warns them. Then you see the men and woman at the machines put there helmets on and carry on working.Probably done for the cameras but interesting to watch.

MK.11 NO.2.C.Medics helmet With a MK.11 liner and with a red cross on the top. Both liner and helmet made by Briggs motor bodies and dated 1940 in really good condition. It also has a MK.11A chin strap note the M for magnetic stamped on the underside of the chin strap, the standard MK.11 chin straps are non magnetic, the MK.11A was only used on home front helmets.

Not a MK.11No.2 but something much cheaper and easier to produce. At the beginning of WW11 there was a shortage of steel helmets so numerous companies started making cheap basic helmets for civilians, this type is quite common and is thought to have been used mainly by factory workers. Note the differences between this one and the standard MK.11 helmet, the leather chinstrap is riveted through the sides so no chinstrap lugs, the liner is a some kind of substitute rubber stuck to the inside of the helmet doing away with the standard liner so no need for a hole in the top or the liner securing nut and bolt, also the helmet itself will have been made out of mild steel. The substitute rubber on this one has rotted over time.