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The British Tommy style helmet is iconic and was first introduced to troops in the trenches in September 1915.
The British soldier was commonly referred to as a “Tommie” but the helmet was more officially known as a Brodie helmet. This steel combat helmet was designed and patented in 1915 by John Leopold Brodie. It has had many nicknames including the shrapnel helmet, Soup Bowl, Tommy helmet, tin hat, dishpan hat, tin pan hat, washbasin, battle bowler (when worn by officers). The Brodie helmet offered certain advantages over the French and German helmets. As it was constructed in one piece that was pressed from a single thick sheet of steel, it had added strength and was simple, quick and cheap to manufacture. By the summer of 1916, the first million helmets had been produced, and they were issued to all troops. By the end of the war some 7.5 million Brodie helmets had been produced and were worn by all commonwealth forces as well as being adopted by American forces.
The Brodie helmets design closely resembled the medieval infantry kettle hat and features 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 designed to protect the wearer's head and shoulders from shrapnel shell projectiles bursting from above the trenches. The design was a compromise between the use of relatively thick steel that could be formed in a single pressing whilst maintaining the helmet's thickness which made it more resistant to projectiles but offering less protection to the lower head and neck than other helmets.
For military enthusiasts, collectors, reenactors or cosplayers, this helmet can be used to represent or celebrate soldiers from over dozens of countries from more than 50 years of history.
- Reproduction helmet
- World war two – British
- Webbing chinstrap
- Designed in 1995 by John Leopold Brodie
- Made of steel
- Used by Brits/AUS/NZ/US etc.