Believe it or not, helmets reinforced with metal were used by the Sumerians and Akkadians as far back as 2300 B.C.E., and Mycenaean Greeks used bronze helmets (typically quite heavy) in 1700 B.C.E.

Last year, a French farmer clearing out a barn near the massacre site came across the helmets, which historian Neil Storey confirmed were Royal Norfolk issue.

Last year, a French farmer clearing out a barn near the massacre site came across the helmets, which historian Neil Storey confirmed were Royal Norfolk issue.

Dennis O'Callaghan holding one of the helmets - his father Bill was one of only two men to survive the massacre after the soldiers surrendered on 27 May 1940 Katy Prickett BBC News, Norfolk ...