Thank you Alan, interesting reading and some good ideas. Certainly I see the value of this set in several ways, not least in providing tank commanders/crew, and I may also use some of the figures as recovery crews (with some conversion).

Enjoy the painting!

Incidentally, here's a good Pathe clip of a tank recovery crew 'in action', in this case recovering a Crusader II: https://www.britishpathe.com/video/tank-recovery-unit-1942

The crew in this film are in steel helmets, but my guess is that for much of the time a more comfortable form of headgear would have been worn.

Interestingly the LRDG always carried helmets ,every man, but are never photographed wearing them, probably because they were on worn in combat and they were all armed with guns and not camera`s at the time. I think the same goes for others , if under fire helmets on, if not go for comfort.