Object detail
Accession number
F318.2001
Description
The Brodie helmet, called Helmet, steel, green, Mark I helmet in Britain and the M1917 Helmet in the U.S., was a steel combat helmet designed and patented in 1915 by the Briton John L. Brodie. Colloquially, it was also called the shrapnel helmet or Tommy helmet, and in the United States known as a doughboy helmet. The design offered several advantages as it was constructed from a single piece that could be pressed from a single thick sheet of steel, giving it added strength. It 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 fragmentation 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.
Collection
Credit Line
Helmet, F318.2001. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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