Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Share #1 Posted January 24, 2020 I'm really excited to share this one. I recently picked up this nice early M1 with Hawley liner. I bought it mainly due to the fact that both the helmet and liner were marked to the same individual so it had some research potential, plus I am a sucker for helmets with matching liners. Now that I have it in hand and have done some research I think I got a pretty good bang for my buck. After some initial research I believe I have this one identified to a Seabee from New Jersey. The shell itself is an early McCord heat stamp 119A with early raised bar buckle. The paint/corking definitely shows some use but beyond a small stress crack in the front it's in good condition. The liner is a 1st pattern fiber liner. Unfortunately it's not in the best condition and lacks a rayon sweatband/nape strap but it's still solid. When I received it in the mail I found a very pleasant surprise inside the liner. As it turns out, this one appears to be a General Fibre liner. It's very faint (and very hard to take a picture of) but there is a "G" stamped in the crown. Both the shell and liner are stenciled with the initials "E. H. H." on the crown. The shell is additionally stenciled with "E. H. Hapworth" on the inside. I did some research to find enlisted individuals with the last name Hapworth and came up with no matches. After doing some further research on fold3 I believe I've got this helmet identified to Emery Herbert Hapworth (ASN 6468512). As a side note, the liner also has the name "Peter Hapworth" scribbled on the back which turns out to be the name of one of Mr. Hapworth's son. I found that Mr. Hapworth was living in Paterson, NJ (about a 15 minute drive away from the seller I bought the helmet from) and was working at Firestone at the time. From what I can tell he was drafted at the age of 29 on 2/27/1942. Unfortunately I haven't found much in the way of records yet but I do know that he served until about 12/15/1944. The one document I was able to find was from the Naval Construction Training Center at Camp Peary. I believe this shows Mr. Hapworth as a Machinist Mate 1st Class transferring to the 140th Naval Construction Battalion. If I'm reading this document wrong please let me know. Unfortunately at the moment this is all I am able to find. If anyone has any leads on where I should look next to continue my research I would appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #2 Posted January 24, 2020 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted January 24, 2020 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #4 Posted January 24, 2020 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #5 Posted January 24, 2020 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #6 Posted January 24, 2020 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #7 Posted January 24, 2020 Hard to make out but there is a G stamped in the crown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #8 Posted January 24, 2020 Last but not least, the change report from the USNCTC first shows the top half of the document. Mr. Hapworth's rows are the last two Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 24, 2020 Author Share #9 Posted January 24, 2020 Bottom half of the document Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rooster Posted January 25, 2020 Share #10 Posted January 25, 2020 Thats a real nice one Nick. Congratulations !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Costa Posted January 25, 2020 Share #11 Posted January 25, 2020 was an ebay lid?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share #12 Posted January 25, 2020 Thats a real nice one Nick. Congratulations !!!! Thanks! I'm going to do some more research on this one to see if I can find more info or at least get more certain I have the right guy. Thinking I may get records pulled on this one. was an ebay lid?? Yep. Pictures weren't the greatest and the seller didn't have any info on the name but I decided it was worth taking a shot on. Not sure if it was the relatively high starting bid or the not so great condition liner or what but it didn't seem to get a lot of attention, I think there was only one other bidder besides myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishLegion Posted January 25, 2020 Share #13 Posted January 25, 2020 Outstanding find! Wonderful lid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M24 Chaffee Posted January 25, 2020 Share #14 Posted January 25, 2020 Very nice addition to your collection! Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share #15 Posted January 25, 2020 Thanks all! I'll probably put in a request for his records next week. I'll update with more info when I receive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky Posted January 26, 2020 Share #16 Posted January 26, 2020 Nice Helmet. Where do you go to put a request in for the man's records? Rocky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted January 26, 2020 Author Share #17 Posted January 26, 2020 Nice Helmet. Where do you go to put a request in for the man's records? Rocky I'm probably going to end up using golden arrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share #18 Posted March 6, 2020 I ended up hearing back from Geoff earlier this week with Mr. Hapworth's records. Looks like Emery Hapworth enlisted to the USNR on 2/27/1942 and was selected for duty with a NCB as a MM2C Truck Driver. Mr. Hapworth was called to active duty on 5/19/1942 and was sent to the USNCTC at NOB Norfolk. On 7/28/1942 he achieved the rank of MM1C while still at NOB Norflok. He remained in Norfolk until 3/17/1943 at which point he transferred to Camp Peary before being transferred to the 140th NCB on 11/18/1943. During his time at Camp Peary Mr. Hapworth was an instructor in communications. Shortly after transferring the the 140th NCB Mr. Hapworth aggravated a preexisting back injury and spent much of his remaining service on limited duty, bouncing between several hospitals and bases before finally being honorably discharged on 12/15/1944. While Mr. Hapworth was never deployed I'm very happy to have received his records to preserve his story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share #19 Posted March 6, 2020 back of his service record Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share #20 Posted March 6, 2020 Photo from his enlistment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken88 Posted March 9, 2020 Share #21 Posted March 9, 2020 A face to go with your helmet. Amazing. Congratulations! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickman983 Posted March 9, 2020 Author Share #22 Posted March 9, 2020 A face to go with your helmet. Amazing. Congratulations! Thanks Ken! I was very happy that his records contained his photo. As you said, it's nice to be able to put a face to the name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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