RARE M27 Irish 'Vickers' helmet

Irish Army 1927 pattern German style Vickers Helmet complete with shield attachment lugs. The often missing chin strap is present and remains in good condition. The liner is present but the leather band is broken (see picutres). The leather is still supple and the original draw string is attached. The helmet has factory markings in the rear, but remain hard to read due to the white paint that covers it. Two different names are visible.Rather than adopt the British helmet which would have had bad memories for many people in Ireland as it had only been 4 years since the War Of Independence, it was decided to go for something different. The first helmets bought for trials were of the French Adrian pattern but these proved to be unsuitable. The Ministry of Defense then decided to investigate the possibility of something similar to the German-style helmet of the Great War which had been shown to offer superior protection to troops and the German consulate was approached. Due to the restrictions imposed by the Versailles treaty, Germany was not allowed to export military items, including helmets. The British government was then approached and they gave the contract to the Vickers company. Vickers produced a design which was almost identical to the WW1 German M1916 pattern. There were produced very small quantity, hence they are very rare to encounter nowadays.