British Mk IV Steel Helmet with 1956 Pattern Liner

A video covering the British Mk IV helmet fitted with the 1956 Pattern liner.
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[@KTM-xz9qj]

Basic training 1985. A pain in the arse. Bounced on my head when running. Metal stud banging into my skull. Spent loads of time skriming one up. 1 meter of hessian and a net. Them old cut up combat jackets and skrim. My liner lift the dot was broken so it moved all over the place. When I got my first Kevlar helmet it was like been issued something from the future.

[@ArenBerberian]

I find stuffing old socks into the inside of the liner helps.

[@blatherskite9601]

@@ArenBerberian Hope you washed them first!

[@richthompson1234]

I served 1977-88 and was issued the steel 'battle bowler' until '85 when the new combat helmet was issued. For my steel helmet I had one of the black chin cups, got it from an old motorcycle helmet. The chin cups were definitely not standard issue! I used my combat jacket 'button-on' hood to cover the steel helmet. Then black elastic attached to the netting, with some scrim from a vehicle cam-net to finish it off! Nice vid, brought back many memories, thanks 👍

[@DavidFraser007]

We had these when I joined up in 1977, they were already relics, the only advantage was that everybody including officers hated them , so we hardly used them. When we got the new plastic helmets in 1985 the same officers got overexcited by them and we wore them even driving vehicles on exercise.

[@padraigcurran3236]

I find it mad that the irish defence forces never used that liner even though we used it just as long from the 1960s to the mid 1980s.

[@mrjockt]

Someone on our section commented on how the shape of the helmet resembled a tortoise’s shell, so one of our lads who was a dab hand with an air-brush sprayed his helmet up to look like a tortoise’s shell, and did an excellent job of it, unfortunately our Flight Sergeant didn’t think it was appropriate and made him respray his helmet back to its old colour.

[@chrissheppard5068]

Joined in 74 I never saw that foam type lining. It was just an awful very uncomfortable helmet which also had that look at me don't I look a complete numpty look about it, so it did complement the large pack and puttees to ensure you looked and felt a complete fool from top to foot. The kit nowadays is brilliant.

[@davidbrennan660]

Some would cover with a cut up sand bag,( I used some hessian fabric that was used to cover bricks with to protect them when building a wall) then camouflage with black and brown boot polish in irregular splotches. Fit the green net and scrim with hessian/ an old army towel strips, Camo net material could catch fire on the Bayonet Assault Course I was told.

[@j24530959]

The colour of the cloth liner is The cloth liner was that brown colour, the helmet was the most uncomfortable bit of army kit i ever wore , moreso when it has got the visor on it which we wore in Northern Ireland which made it front heavy.

[@liammalarky3483]

These were a nightmare as others have said. Their ONLY saving grace in my view was that the front rim locked into place perfectly behind an SLR's rear sight block. When prone at night with your head held by the chin strap you could "look" like you were awake and sighting down the barrel. And, half drift off...

[@johngreen-sk4yk]

Great review, but you may be surprised to know these helmets stayed in service with some TA infantry battalions into the early 90,s ! I Managed to keep hold of mine when we finally got our mk 6,s .

[@taffwob]

We got ours replaced in '92 along with brand spanking new L85's that fell to bits and there was a real wave of helmet fever from the grown ups. You only had to have so much as the fastening undone on the chinstrap & they went mental. A better helmet all round but massively hot to wear in summer, nice of them to supply a DPM cover that was just too small.

[@johngreen-sk4yk]

@@taffwob Similar story ,I think we got l85,s in 91 but had to wait till about 93 to get mk 6 helmet and plce webbing ! By that point most guys had got fed up with waiting and acquired their own one way or another.

[@RiflemanMoore]

Good to know, thank you!

[@steveforster9764]

Oh the joys

[@keithorbell8946]

Birmingham University OTC 1989-1992 we were still issued those. Otterburn training area in the Summer of 1990, they had to be used as buckets because some @rse decided it would be a good idea to fire a mini flare into a tinder dry forestry block!

[@andrewjohnston4127]

I was there that summer (probably the next unit to arrive ) I do remember it being a scorcher of a summer 😁

[@keithorbell8946]

@@andrewjohnston4127 it was, for the 3 weeks before I was at an archaeological dig just outside Taunton, the ground was like rock! 29 Commando RA were at Redesdale Camp at the same time as us, along with their TA support units, doing a shooting congregation. Good fun camp for us, that.

[@stuartbennett7614]

Lift the dot left a dent in my head, mk6 with a ffd was far superior

[@andrewjohnston4127]

I personally think this liner is more comfortable than the mk6 that replaced it. We still wore these in the early 90s for fire piquet , painted red and sat lined up next to the fire fighting kit.

[@stevethomas5849]

That is exactly what my dad formerly SSGT then WO2 had in the early 1980s.

[@fus149hammer5]

Yup same here. Our granddads from Normandy on would recognise them straight away.

[@andrewfox6631]

I have a similar helmet. Sock liner in 1972 dated. Liner 1977. But shell is not dated. Looked at shell and it is dated ..1953i think . Had to take the liner out

[@rmc_reenacting]

Are there repro liners or is an original liner the only option?

[@RiflemanMoore]

I'm not aware of anyone making repro liners, unfortunately.

[@knockerwhite4192]

Are the liners for this sized or 'universal'?

[@RiflemanMoore]

They are sized.

[@johnsharp6618]

A horrible bit of kit, an elastic chin strap which made it a nightmare for running in . The spider on the inside would be removed by some wags when you were off guard so when you put your helmet on in a hurry you would end up with the spike in the center top slammed in to the top of your head . The replacement was terrible too. Personally I preferred my steel para helmet, but I know a lot tried to get hold of the tank crew helmet which looked similar.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

Washable they would get soooo sweaty

[@kenkan6837]

As an old GI I find it incredible that your Boffins thought this was a good design, was this seriously used in the tropics?

[@michaelamos4651]

Great video thanks. Liner looks rather over complicated

[@gorbalsboy]

Welcome to the world of military design ( by people who never wear or use the kit, either that or sadists)

[@michaelamos4651]

@@gorbalsboy Very true 👍

[@muwuny]

How? It's literally some bits of card, foam and a cloth. One of the most simple liners I've ever encountered outside of stuff like the Altyn.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

Steel helmets are heavy enough scrim would have made problem worse

[@davidmccann9811]

I didn't like this helmet, as the inner sock liner made my head sweaty and the helmet used to wobble around all the time too.

[@muwuny]

Swear I've seen reference to it as "MkV" in literature, but I can't remember what.

[@stevethomas5849]

I always called it a MK 5 because of the liner.

[@badgertheskinnycow]

In ALL the British Army stores catalogues (loC and COSA etc) this helmet is termed the MKIV from it's introduction up until its eventual removal from service. Any reference to its title as the MKV helmet is an error.

[@red_ed5715]

your wrong bro its a MK4