WW1 Disney Painted War Art Helmets

[cwnorma]

Dave,

 

I have heard over the years that when Walt was in the Ambulance Corps, he painted German souvenir helmets for his buddies.

 

Have you ever seen a true, verifiable Walt Disney Painted WW1 Helmet?

 

Are they a collector urban legend?

 

Chris

[disneydave]

Hello Chris.

 

Here is what I wrote about this topic when the question was posted in another forum:

 

The short answer is YES - Disney did create fake German "sniper" helmets while overseas at the end of World War I.

 

Here's the story:

 

In 1916 Disney tried to enlist in the Army, but he was rejected as being too young – he was only 16. Disney found out that the Red Cross Ambulance Corps was accepting applications but he needed to be at least 17. While his father refused to sign the necessary paperwork, his mother acquiesced and penned the necessary signatures of both herself and her husband.

 

Disney was then sent to a tent city near the University of Chicago for driver training. While there he came down with the flu. When he recovered he was sent to another Red Cross unit, this time in Connecticut.

 

When the war ended Disney was still stateside. He was extremely disappointed that he never made it over to Europe. In a stroke of luck, however, the Red Cross called his name as part of a group of some 50 young men to be sent to Europe to help with “clean-up” operations. He made the trip across the Atlantic in a cattle ship.

 

Disney was assigned a Red Cross truck and helper and was put in charge of transporting beans and sugar. In a snowstorm Disney’s truck experienced mechanical problems and had to be abandoned. Disney spent two nights near the truck in a railroad watchman’s hut waiting for his swamper to return with help. After two nights in the cold Disney walked to the nearest town, ordered a meal and then went to sleep. When he awoke and returned to where his truck had broken-down, the vehicle was gone.

 

Disney then made his way to Paris where he reported to Red Cross headquarters. Senior administrative staff wanted to court martial him out of the Red Cross, but their minds were changed when a fellow staffer informed the board Disney had in fact stayed with his vehicle, while his helper had traveled to a nearby village where he had proceeded to get drunk. The board court martialed the helper and let Disney off.

 

Disney spent the rest of his time in France performing odd jobs for the Red Cross. During this time he earned a few dollars with another member of his Red Cross unit selling souvenirs to anyone who was interested. Disney’s friend shot holes into German helmets the duo had found. Disney then painted and distressed the helmets to make them look like they had been worn. No one knows how many of these faked “sniper” helmets Disney and his friend created.

 

Disney also used his artistic talents painting caricatures on the canopies of Red Cross trucks.

 

Personally, I have never seen one of these helmets but I imagine they probably do exist. The hard part would be to prove Disney had actually made any particular one.

[Brig]

and that will also lead collectors to think they have an actual Sniper-shot helmet...

 

I remember hearing a story about Walt Disney getting kicked out of the Marine Corps for some kind of substance abuse. anybody know anything about this rumor?

[disneydave]

Hi Brig.

 

Walt Disney never served in the USMC. He applied during WW I but was denied because he was underage.

 

I have a HUGE Disney (and WW II) reference library. There is no mention of Disney ever abusing any substance in any of the ref books I have, including a slimey biography that includes a lot of untruths. In the 1950s Walt Disney often retired to his private office (he had a working and private office at the Studio in Burbank), where the Studio nurse would pour him a Scotch Mist and give him hot compresses on his neck for a neck injury he suffered while playing polo in the 1930s. The only substance he abused was cigarettes - he was a chain smoker - lung cancer claimed his life in 1966.

[cpatrick]

Yes, he died just before his dream of Disney Land became a reality. Infact, he thought that it was awash, and did not feel that it would ever open. The place did open, if not for anything else, to perpetuate his legacy.

 

Chris

[QED4]

Walt did see the opening of Disneyland in 1956 it was Disney World he did not see open in 1971 he died in 1966.

[disneydave]

Disneyland opened on July 17th 1955. Walt Disney was very much alive and well and had great fun with the live tv production, which was broadcast on ABC, which coincidentally put up some of the funding to build the park, introducing Disneyland to the audience.

 

Walt Disney died on December 15, 1966, when his chain smoking habit caught up to him - he had a tumour the size of a walnut removed from his left lung, but it was too late and the cancer eventually claimed his life a few months after the operation.

 

Through the use of several "dummy" corporations, Walt Disney managed to acquire over 27,000 acres of swampland in the Orlando area. The first five acre plot was purchased in 1964.

 

Walt Disney originally envisioned Project Florida to be a city and the idea was eventually named EPCOT: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The plan was to build a state of the art city that was both people and environmentally friendly. Disney emplyed some of the top urban planners of the time to brainstorm new and unique ideas that were going to be incorporatedinto the design.

 

Plans for the site changed drasticlaly after his death and the property was developed as a theme park and not the futuristic city Walt had planned. Construction on the project began less than one year after Walt Disney's death.

 

The property we now know as the Walt Disney World Resort was opened in October 1971 by Walt's brother Roy, who named the park in memory of his brother, who he worked with since the beginning of their partnership in 1923. Roy Disney died two months after opening Disney World.

 

Walt's daughter Diane and Roy's son, also named Roy, have been involved at various times with the running of the company.

 

By the way...if you get a chance, stop by the Disney sub-forum under the home front section. There are now almost 60 posts of items - some neat items ranging from insignia to home front and including original insignia art and a postcard with a Donald Duck image that was mailed from Stalag Luft III.

[Rustykamel]

Hi Brig.

 

Walt Disney never served in the USMC. He applied during WW I but was denied because he was underage.

 

I have a HUGE Disney (and WW II) reference library. There is no mention of Disney ever abusing any substance in any of the ref books I have, including a slimey biography that includes a lot of untruths. In the 1950s Walt Disney often retired to his private office (he had a working and private office at the Studio in Burbank), where the Studio nurse would pour him a Scotch Mist and give him hot compresses on his neck for a neck injury he suffered while playing polo in the 1930s. The only substance he abused was cigarettes - he was a chain smoker - lung cancer claimed his life in 1966.

Hi, Do you happen to know what brand of cigarettes Walt Disney smoked? Available in the Disney World smoke shop during 1982 was an off-red box of Virginia Ovals Cigarettes that featured the Walt Disney World name and a sort of Mickey ears on a globe.

 

Jim

[disneydave]

Jim...Walt Disney was a chain smoker. He liked unfiltered Lucky Strikes. At one point in time his daughter bought him filter tipped cigarettes but when she wasn't around Walt would snap the ends off. He later switched to French Gitanes cigarettes.