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Painted Helmet

There is an old distressed soldier's helmet

Collection of Army Museum of Alberta Calgary, Alberta, MR 2012.013.0001

metal, leather, paint, 12.2 x 30.0 x 32.5 cm, First World War

The image on this helmet is a painting of “Old Bill” who is a fictional character often depicted as an elderly, pipe-smoking, mustached British “Tommy” who was likely a Boer War veteran soldier. He was created in 1914–1915 by the cartoonist Captain (Charles) Bruce Bairnsfather (1887–1959). The character achieved a great deal of popularity during the First World War when he was considered a major morale booster for the British and Commonwealth troops.