Strange Inland M1 helmet liner - cut short ?

[jimdog]

I acquired this Inland M1 helmet liner with a 1950s produced McCord helmet, but it's cut very short around the sides and back, it just falls right out of the helmet.

I've never seen one like this before.

It has the full webbing, so I don't think it's a defect turned children's toy.

It has textured black paint.

The nape strap is dated 1942.

I know that Inland liners are not as common as the other manufacturers, they were only manufactured for about one year.

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[Pepper]

Your initial suspicion is correct, It is definitely a reject liner. As you no doubt know manufacturers were allowed to sell off defective liners to the civilian market but their silhouette had to be altered by cutting off the back. These were sold as "toys for boys" but many were also sold as protective helmets for industrial jobs. The vast majority of defects seem to have been caught at the molding stage which gives us a majority of relics with ad-hoc suspensions. This one was not discovered until after the suspension had been installed.  

 

Nice rare example! I like the green A washers indicating it was toward the end of Inland's contracts.

[jimdog]

9 hours ago, Pepper said:

Your initial suspicion is correct, It is definitely a reject liner. As you no doubt know manufacturers were allowed to sell off defective liners to the civilian market but their silhouette had to be altered by cutting off the back. These were sold as "toys for boys" but many were also sold as protective helmets for industrial jobs. The vast majority of defects seem to have been caught at the molding stage which gives us a majority of relics with ad-hoc suspensions. This one was not discovered until after the suspension had been installed.  

 

Nice rare example! I like the green A washers indicating it was toward the end of Inland's contracts.

Thanks for your insight.
I think it possibly being used as an industrial hard hat might explain the black paint.    

[Rhscott]

That would be a nice one to use with a net so it does not stick out so far.

[TheGoose]

Interesting!  It is halfway between the typical "toy liners" you see and a production liner.  It looks like it received the factory webbing before being rejected.  Cool piece!