A direct - though cheaply made
of light steel - copy of
the German M16. The Irish Army wanted
to buy German surplus or even new manufacture, but were unable to
because of trade restrictions placed on Germany after the Great War by the
Allied Powers.
The Irish government then contracted with Vickers Engineering,
the UK firm, to produce a straightforward copy of the German M16.
IRELAND Vickers 1927 front detail
Note the sockets for the badge
that would have been on all Irish
Army helmets. These helmets were originally pained dark bottle green when
in use by the Irish Army, but were relegated
to civil defence use before WW2 and the badges removed and most of the shells painted
white.
This example has been repainted black at a later date, as traces
of the civil defence white still show in the interior.
Take a look here for a more detailed description of the life and times of the Vickers1927.
Even with my poor eyesight I recognised this at once as a Vickers 1927 at 5 meters in Tony's shop in Reading and rushed to buy it.. A bargain at £75. My most expensive helmet purchase so far, but a real pleasure.
Thousands of these helmets were
bulldozed into the ground as
foundation filling for an Irish Army
barracks in the 1970s. More than half the original production
run - which wasn't a lot to start with - was destroyed that
day.
If only the Irish had known then
how much they could have sold
them for just a few years later.....