"Helmets of the Home Front" book by Adrian & George Blake
See the bottom of the page for details about Helmets of the Home Front II, the second volume of this tremendous piece of historical research.
Helmets of the Home Front is the 'bible' for all things related to helmets and the British home front during the Second World War. Sadly, it is now only available on the second-hand market via a few specialist militaria bookshops and, occasionally, on eBay. It was privately published, and no second print run is being envisioned.
The authors, Adrian and George Blake, combed the UK's private collections and museums for examples of home front helmets as well as examples drawn from their own vast collection. The book covers markings and ranks for all the major non-military Second World War home front services. Also covered are attachments such as gas curtains, lamps and carriers. The home front services covered in the book are:
The authors, Adrian and George Blake, combed the UK's private collections and museums for examples of home front helmets as well as examples drawn from their own vast collection. The book covers markings and ranks for all the major non-military Second World War home front services. Also covered are attachments such as gas curtains, lamps and carriers. The home front services covered in the book are:
- Helmets issued to the Fire Services - Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS), National Fire Service (NFS), Fire Guards (FG), Fire Watchers & Supplementary/Street Parties (SFP)
- Wardens' ARP Service Helmets (W)
- Industrial, Commercial & Factory ARP Helmets- including Zuckerman helmets
- Police Helmets - including Observer Corps
- Health Services - Medical Officer of Health (MOH), Casualty Services (CS), First Aid Posts/Parties (FAP), Ambulance (A), Stretcher Parties (SP), Hospitals & supporting voluntary services such as the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS)
- Gas (GIO) & Decontamination (DC) Service Helmets
- Repair Party Services Helmets - Gas (RP/G), Roads (RP/R), Electricity (RP/E) & Water (RP/W)
- Helmets for Headquarters & Report and Control Staff - Controller, Regional Column, Mutual Support, Transport, ARP etc.
- Incident Management (IO) & Messenger Service (M) Helmets
- Rescue Service Helmets (R)
Helmets of the Home Front Vol. II
In September of 2025, Adrian and George Blake privately published volume II of their Helmets of the Home Front. It matches (perhaps even surpasses in this editor's opinion) that of volume one. There is a section dedicated to Controller helmets with named examples included that is a remarkable piece of research.
Helmets of the Home Front Vol. II
