The British had at least five varieties of helmets in use during the war. These are described as: the new paratroopers' fibre, the old paratroopers' steel, the 1943 steel, the RAC steel worn by RN and some RM personnel, and the AFV crews' fibre. There is a lot of evidence that the British wore helmets throughout the war. There is one example however, where this is not the case.

Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines of 42 Commando, describing the Battle of Mount Harriet states: “We were also most concerned about recognition at night. Eventually we decided upon a small 2-4 inch strip of white tape on our belt harness just below the shoulders. our headdress was also distinctive; our steel helmets looked different to the Argentinians and furthermore were fiendishly uncomfortable. Most including myself ditched the helmet and wore our traditional green berets. For the benefit of the medical fraternity, I had no head or neck injuries within my coy. All 14 were to the torso and limbs.”

From this statement, we can ascertain that the Commandos did not want appear ‘different’ to the Argentines by wearing their distinctive helmets, and that the type of old paratroopers’ steel helmets they had, were uncomfortable to wear. This was a night battle, and it was known that the enemy had good night vision equipment, the Commandos were concerned about recognition. For these reason, some men conducted this battle without helmets.

The Falklands War: A Rifle Company Commander's perspective By Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines.

The British Infantry in the Falklands Conflict: Lessons of the Light Infantry in 1982 and Their Relevance to the British Army at the Turn of the Century. By Andrew Pullan.

Battle for the Falklands, Land Forces. By William Fowler and Michael Chappell.