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Painted Helmet

A helmet painted with a colour image of a fighting bulldog superimposed over a tree with a swastika being stomped under his foot. Three place names are painted in the lip of its outer rim.

Collection of CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum Victoria, British Columbia, 2011.003.002

metal, paint, rubber, cotton 12.2 x 31.0 x 29.5 cm, Second World War

The Clayoquot, Fennel and Tillsonburg (names painted on this helmet) are Royal Canadian Navy ships that were in service during the Second World War. This helmet is adorned with a fighting bulldog which became a powerful symbol for British (and Commonwealth) steadfast determination and fighting spirit. Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965), who was then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, had a broad body and jowly face not unlike the British bulldog.