WWII Canadian Mk.II Brodie A.R.P. helmet

A beauty that I picked up last month at a gun show alongside a French M1874 Gras bayonet. This is a Mk.II Brodie helmet, dated 1942, manufactured by General Steel Wares, commissioned by the Department of Pension and Health for civil defense. This helmet has "A.R.P." stenciled on the front, which stands for "Air Raid Precautions".

I hate to 'burst your bubble' but Canadian Mk II helmets are NOT Brodies.   Considering the term Brodie applies to the pre-Mk I helmets adapted by the British during the FWW, it is essentially inane collector slang that is used and applied indiscriminately to refer to all manner of similar shapped helmets.   Also, a word of caution, your latest A.R.P. marked MK II appears to be stencil painted which could very well be a red flag with respect to authenticity.   If you already haven’t, then might I suggest that you purchase a copy of Tin Lids - Canadian Combat Helmets - Second Edition - 2000 ISBN 0-9699845-3-7 as it may assist you in your search for helmets.

I understand that it is merely slang, but what else would you call this other than a Mk.I or a Mk.II helmet?

your latest A.R.P. marked MK II appears to be stencil painted which could very well be a red flag with respect to authenticity. wrote:

I seem to see a lot of helmets like it that look to be stencil-painted (and some have almost identical font styles to mine). Outside of a post-war restoration of sorts (which is likely the main concern that I'm detecting from you), why would this be an issue? Were they always hand-painted?

By simply stating that you have a GSW DP&H Mk II Helmet with white ARP markings says it all. My concern with the markings on your helmet is outright fraud. I have no idea what you paid for your helmet but most Mk IIs without any markings are now fetching over $100.00 and usually any 'additional' markings just increases the price, which sadly encourages fakery. My concern with your example is the apparent overspray off the applied stencil, thin paint, weak lines and smudging, all details I have not encountered with wartime marked helmets. I could be OK, but as I have stated, I have concerns about its authenticity.

I paid $120 for it, the seller was a tough nut and wanted $140 for it, and only budged an inch. He was selling an outer shell of a WWI M16 German Stahlhelm for $200, and I had to walk away.

So you think it's a fraudulent helmet? One that might've had nothing on it, and then someone went and stenciled "A.R.P." on the front to sell it for more?

What are the odds that this one was brought out after the Second World War and stenciled for civil defense later? (highly unlikely, but I'm reading that they were used up until the mid-1950s or so)