61A MCCord

[FortJohn]

What time frame would a 61A stamped MCCord helmet been manufactured. It's fixed bails with one of them fixed with a piece of heavy copper wire. Thanks Greg

[Frogskin7]

Late 1941 I believe

[FortJohn]

Thank you. I will take some pics after this weekend. The liner has MP hand painted on it.The shell has MP in pencil but never painted. There is a name in the sweatband. But everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Thanks Greg.

[CWG]

Yeah around there maybe August or October of 41

[Nickman983]

Going to bring this thread up again as I've got a related question. About when in 1941 would 63C date? Also, does anyone know how long it would take a helmet to get from the factory through the supply chain? I've got a 63C McCord that supposedly came off the USS San Francisco and I'm curious whether it may have made it on board prior to pearl harbor or at some point after the attacks.

[AnDuc49]

Going to bring this thread up again as I've got a related question. About when in 1941 would 63C date? Also, does anyone know how long it would take a helmet to get from the factory through the supply chain? I've got a 63C McCord that supposedly came off the USS San Francisco and I'm curious whether it may have made it on board prior to pearl harbor or at some point after the attacks.

 

From my research on the USS San Francisco, I HIGHLY doubt it that they made it on-board prior to the attack. The only helmets that would've been present at the attack I believe were the M1917A1 Kelly helmets. More likely than not, the first batch of helmets were brought onboard the ship when she went back to Mare Island Naval Yard to be repaired in December of 1942. I understand this to be the case as on one my helmets, the sailor had been onboard from May of 1941 until he was transferred off to NAS Alameda and later Noumea, likely reaching his final destination via the USS San Francisco which stopped there in March of 1943. By this point, he had already been issued a Hawley liner (along with a FB most likely), so it again points to December of 1942 being the date most likely for them to receive their first batch.

 

With the addition of SB helmets and regular helmet liners, I think it'd be safe to assume that these were likely brought onboard as the ship re-stocked at various supply depots during the war

[Nickman983]

 

From my research on the USS San Francisco, I HIGHLY doubt it that they made it on-board prior to the attack. The only helmets that would've been present at the attack I believe were the M1917A1 Kelly helmets. More likely than not, the first batch of helmets were brought onboard the ship when she went back to Mare Island Naval Yard to be repaired in December of 1942. I understand this to be the case as on one my helmets, the sailor had been onboard from May of 1941 until he was transferred off to NAS Alameda and later Noumea, likely reaching his final destination via the USS San Francisco which stopped there in March of 1943. By this point, he had already been issued a Hawley liner (along with a FB most likely), so it again points to December of 1942 being the date most likely for them to receive their first batch.

 

With the addition of SB helmets and regular helmet liners, I think it'd be safe to assume that these were likely brought onboard as the ship re-stocked at various supply depots during the war

 

Thanks for the information! I figured it was unlikely but wanted to ask just to be sure.

[ClaptonIsGod]

As a fellow USS San Franciso (allegedly) fixed bail/Hawley set owner, could we assume they might have been at Guadalcanal if not Pearl Harbor? I hear what you are saying about December 1942 being a possibility, but I have to imagine they would have gotten a decent number of M1s onboard in the year after Pearl Harbor.

 

In March 1942, she came back to Pearl Harbor from the Pacific. In April, she sailed for San Francisco, stayed there through May, and then returned to Pearl Harbor in June, heading back west on the collision course with Guadalcanal thereafter. Personally I think our helmets would then have been loaded in Pearl Harbor or San Francisco in late spring/early summer 1942. The M1 was in widespread enough use by then that I cannot imagine they would still be relying on the M1917A1s, and the fact that both our Hawley/fixed bail sets have pretty much identical heat stamps (away from home for a few weeks so will check pictures or wait until I get home) supports that, to me. With that in mind, and the wide date range for your helmet between May 1941 to March 1943, I see no glaring contradictions especially given the numerous base visits throughout 1942.

 

Edit: Mine is 63D, so later in the exact same McCord batch and also puts it late 1941/early 1942 which would make sense as the shipment would take a few months to get to San Francisco or Pearl Harbor.

 

My liner is rayon, rectangular washers, fixed chinstrap, and no stamps or marks visible in the dome. Will have to wait until I get home to read the text on the nape strap (remember it being there but not what it says), and the sweatband is a later standard khaki one in tatters. If yours is configured the exact same (except perhaps for the sweatband as it would seem to be a replacement) way I think that further supports them coming on at the same time.