Thomson Leiper of Kilmarnock was a 2nd Lieutenant in the King's Own Scottish Borderers, serving in France. In 1918 he was wounded in the arm and narrowly avoided a head wound from a German bullet which penetrated his helmet. He spent some time in the Dick Institute hospital.
The steel helmet was issued to British troops in Spring 1916. It was made of a single sheet of pressed steel, with a leather liner and chin strap. It was copied for use by the US Army.