Was the idea for Tommy’s helmet from Halifax?
It’s a question very often asked. Why didn’t the military authorities of all countries employ armour to protect soldiers from the murderous firepower of WW1 weapons? It took the experiences of the first few months of the war to fully understand that firepower had taken such a quantum leap in lethality. The military authorities began experimenting with ideas for armour protection as early as the beginning of 1915, but stopping a bullet would have been incredibly difficult to achieve with the technology available at the time. All sorts of general body protection were under consideration. However, soldiers disliked using anything which reduced their combat effectiveness particularly where mobility was of the essence. Regrettably, the only armour option available at the time involved multiple layers of cumbersome sheet metal. Today soldiers routinely use ‘body armour’ fashioned from Kevlar, a lightweight high tensile strength synthetic fibre. Body protection involving metal shields did however continue to be used during the Great War in static positions. Local Halifax inventor, J.H.T. Greenwood, submitted a shield device for snipers claiming it could also be used by advancing soldiers. He was one of many and nothing is known of his particular submission. What really focused the minds in 1914-15 was the huge number of head wounds due to exploding overhead shrapnel. Soldiers’ letters in the Courier at this time were full of references to its lethal effects. Head protection thus, became the number one priority and in early 1915 the Germans, British and French were all considering possible designs. A local Halifax metallurgist, Alfred Bates, may have come up with the original idea for how a helmet could be manufactured for the British Tommy. According to his own testimony in the Courier of January 1919, he suggested a process of metal stamping a single sheet of toughened steel into a dome shape - ideal for shielding the head from overhead shrapnel. It was also relatively quick and cheap to make. The process of metal stamping was familiar to Bates and the iconic dome shape bore an uncanny resemblance to some lantern shades he was already making at Wil- lis and Bates (Pellon Works) on Reservoir Road. The idea of Bates providing the original manufacturing concept had a fair degree of currency at the time, as has been revealed by David Glover who uncovered Bates’ obituary in the 1928 Courier. Unfortunately for Bates’ legacy, another entrepreneur, John Leopold Brodie, subsequently added several important design elements to the basic helmet and took the trouble to take out patents both in Britain and later America. All sources now routinely cite Brodie as the designer of the helmet. Such is Life. morning to avoid waiting only to find someone had beaten him to it. Residents in Slack had a well near the chapel but had to wait to fill their containers as the water came at a slow rate. Other districts such as Colden had an inadequate supply but were in line to have an upgrade when money became available. In this same edition is the story of the mother who suddenly received information about her missing son. William Butt, 40, had disappeared and according to rumour, he was living in Manchester 5 years ago. Since then had been given up for lost. The unexpected arrival of a letter from a matron of a hospital in France shocked his elderly mother, as there had been no communication between them for several years. During his period at the front, dodging bombs and bullets, he caught pneumonia and was in a Oxford hospital recuperating. top. Whether Pte Marshall returned home is unclear but his description shows the hardships and the difficult terrain the troops had to endure in the failed campaign. 12 samples of butter examined by Mr Dewhirst 11 were genuine. The one doubtful sample had 16.11% water this figure being over the statutory limit. It also contained a trace of boric acid, which he pronounced unsatisfactory. Margarine however had a clean bill of health, as the six samples supplied were genuine. This number seemed a small amount considering the amount of margarine now consumed. One out of 150 samples of milk and one from 16 of vinegar failed the test. Why were so many milk samples provided the reporter wondered.