A safety helmet that has been cut out from a composite fibre material and riveted together. Helmets of this type would have been used in Leicestershire mines between 1935 and 1960.
A miner collected his helmet at the beginning of each shift together with his lamp and other equipment. It not only served as a piece of safety clothing, but also as a holder for his battery cap lamp, which fitted onto the bracket at the front of the helmet.
The benefit of wearing a helmet in mines was recognised as early as 1932. At the inquest into the death of a miner in the North East of England, the Coroner, Mr. J.C. Morton, made a call for the practice of wearing helmets to become more universal. He had come to this conclusion after beating a helmet with an iron bar to test its strength.
