Second World War (1939-1945)
The Navy in European Waters  - Coastal Operations: United Kingdom and European Waters

The Royal Canadian Navy, employed on coastal patrols, convoy escort duty, and support operations, made an important contribution to the naval war that raged in the waters around the United Kingdom and off the nearby European coast.

Helmet, Able Seaman G.F. Brown, HMCS Assiniboine

Able Seaman G.F. Brown used this helmet to smother an incendiary bomb that fell on HMCS Assiniboine's deck during a German raid in May 1941.

The helmet's interior and strap (bottom) were badly scorched when Brown held it over the bomb to deprive it of the oxygen it needed to keep burning, and Brown's hands and one of his legs were burned in the process. At the time of the air raid, Assiniboine, a River-class destroyer, was undergoing repairs in a shipyard on the River Clyde in Scotland following a collision with a merchant ship.

Helmet, Mk 2
CWM 19710012-001