WW1 or WW2?

[centurion]

I have found this file which is supposed to be of defensive works at El Arish during WW1. The Lewis gun certainly says WW1 but I can't remember seeing a photo of men with Brodies in the Middle East in WW1.

[rmcguirk]

Centurion,

Sorry about the source, but according to Wikipedia "brodie helmet" it was indeed used from 1916.

Russell

[T8HANTS]

This photo was reproduced in the history of the 1/5th Suffolk Regiment, published 1927 I think.

I have photos of the 8th Hants, in the same Brigade (163) wearing Brodies late 1917.

Gareth

[Paul Reed]

There are also photos of London Regiment men from 60th Division wearing helmets, and I used to own an officer's brodie with a special cover for Palestine, with a flap at the back to protect the neck from the sun.

[phil andrade]

Look at AJP Taylor's history of the First World War, page 241, photograph 183 : British troops on horseback entering Damascus. They're all wearing steel helmets. Was that Christmas 1917 ?

Phil

[SFayers]

This photo was reproduced in the history of the 1/5th Suffolk Regiment, published 1927 I think.

I have photos of the 8th Hants, in the same Brigade (163) wearing Brodies late 1917.

Gareth

Gareth is quite correct. The photo is indeed in The History of the 1/5th Battalion The Suffolk Regiment by Fair and Walton. The photo caption reads Turkish Trenches. El Arish Reboubt.

From the same book: On the 25th [October 1917] steel helmets were issued to all ranks.

Incidently, El Arish Redoubt was a different locality to El Arish. The former was one of the objectives during the Gaza battles in late 1917.

cheers

Steve

[michaeldr]

Another example from the Matson Collection at the LoC

"The surrender of Jerusalem to the British, December 9, 1917. First British guard at the Jaffa Gate"

Edited 17 October , 2009 by michaeldr