During work at the Statumseind in the center of Eindhoven, two army helmets were found: a German and a British army helmet, from the Second World War. The helmets were probably dropped or thrown from a bridge in the Oude Stadsgracht. Until the 1950s, this was actually a canal. The helmets were ‘brotherly’ next to each other when they were found.
And they are special helmets, it turned out when they were further examined and cleaned. The British helmet is painted with a Dutch flag.
“It may be that the helmet belonged to a member of the Princess Irene Brigade. It is also possible that the headgear was decorated during the liberation celebrations on September 18,” says city archaeologist Peter de Boer. We will never know.
Impact of a grenade
The war violence is still clearly visible on the German helmet. There is an angular hole on one side of the helmet, and a dent on the inside on the other side of the helmet. It was probably the impact of a shrapnel. “If someone had the helmet on when that happened, they can’t tell it,” the city archaeologist thinks.
Archaeological finds were already taken into account during the work in the center of Eindhoven. For example, remnants of a medieval city moat, a city castle and a tannery have already surfaced before. And now helmets from the Second World War.
They are displayed to the public. From September 18 to October 31, the headgear will be in the Catharinakerk.