Pbaczuk Posted June 13, 2016 Share #1 Posted June 13, 2016 Here is a helmet I cherish. It is a 2Bn 5th Marine Reg. helmet. It is complete with liner and chinstrap. A cat peed inside. I will take more pics soon of the inside. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted June 13, 2016 Share #2 Posted June 13, 2016 Paul welcome to the forum. This is a spectacular 2/5 helmet with artwork consistent with other originals. Can you find a name anywhere in the helmet? Great piece that you should be proud to have in your collection. Can I ask where you acquired it? You should post some shots under the helmets with ega section as well. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanormalTrooper Posted June 13, 2016 Share #3 Posted June 13, 2016 Very nice helmet! Can't wait to see more pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12A54 Posted June 13, 2016 Share #4 Posted June 13, 2016 I see this same hand at work on other 2/5 helmets. Here is mine. (My grandfather served in 2/5 through Belleau Wood then transferred to 1/5. This is not his helmet. If I ever find a 1/5 as nice as this I will try to trade for it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share #5 Posted June 13, 2016 Oh yes !! You are right. It looks like the same Marine did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted June 13, 2016 Share #6 Posted June 13, 2016 Paul, usually the battalion would have a designated artist or two that would knock these out en-masse. I know of at least two others in addition to yours and 12A54 with this particular design on it, and I am sure there are others out there. Much the same can be said of the 2/6 brown shell painted helmets, where those Indian heads are often also very distinctive and by the same artist. The thread mentioned earlier in the ega reference section on helmets with ega's probably have one or two helmets like yours posted. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12A54 Posted June 13, 2016 Share #7 Posted June 13, 2016 Here are a couple others I collected photos of over the past few years, same hand as warguy points out: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12A54 Posted June 13, 2016 Share #8 Posted June 13, 2016 And another: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share #9 Posted June 13, 2016 Nice work. If the 2nd to the last helmet did not have the scrapes in the yellow paint, it would be a dead ringer for mine. Same artist. My helmet is marked with the initials HAL in two places: on the inside brim and the leather chinstrap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share #10 Posted June 13, 2016 Some inside shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted June 13, 2016 Share #11 Posted June 13, 2016 Paul, if you can get a hold of a roster for the Fourth Brigade and you have some time on your hands, you can check 2/5 Marines with the first name of Hal or those initials. Would be time consuming, but I have solved identity before that way. Too bad you don't have a service number as well. In my experience, the chin straps are the best place to check for any ID on these helmets. These are great looking helmets and one that has continued to elude me. This is the only pattern of the 2/5 I would buy, first because I am so comfortable with its originality and second because the artwork is just killer. I hope someday I can acquire one. Great post. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugme Posted June 13, 2016 Share #12 Posted June 13, 2016 Ya know, you just gotta love the USMC M-17's! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share #13 Posted June 13, 2016 Kevin, thank you for your input and interest. I found a "possible" from the 2/5 1918 roster, a Marine named Harold A Laidlaw. He is the only one with the initials. He was also WIA. It is very possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted June 13, 2016 Share #14 Posted June 13, 2016 I think you are right, a very good possibility. You can do some census/records checking online on him and see what part of the country he is from. Sometimes these helmets are found literally in the backyard of the area the vet resided. I think that all letters are in capitols on your chin strap likely means they are initials as opposed to the first name of "Hal". I think you have a likely candidate there. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hessian Posted June 13, 2016 Share #15 Posted June 13, 2016 Famtastic lid. As others have said, consistent with known originals. A one-looker. Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted June 13, 2016 Share #16 Posted June 13, 2016 Hessian, I think you have a real nice one a lot like this if I recall. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12A54 Posted June 13, 2016 Share #17 Posted June 13, 2016 It's interesting that most of the 2/5 lids I've seen were done by the same hand. The quality and detail is very nice and consistent. The ones I've seen from 1/5 are much less uniform and not of the same artistic quality, maybe done at Company level rather than across the battalion? Curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share #18 Posted June 13, 2016 What is neat for me to learn is that there is a specific artist who did many of the helmets.. One who was consistent and recognized. I wonder how many he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share #19 Posted June 13, 2016 This helmet looks good on this USMC haversack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightn5th Posted June 19, 2016 Share #20 Posted June 19, 2016 Kevin, thank you for your input and interest. I found a "possible" from the 2/5 1918 roster, a Marine named Harold A Laidlaw. He is the only one with the initials. He was also WIA. It is very possible. What book was this information found in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share #21 Posted July 1, 2019 According to the Egglestone book with roster, This helmet could only belong to Corporal Harry A Lasure. He is the only 2nd Bn Marine with HAL initials. Harold A Laidlaw was with the 3rd battalion Company M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pudgy (V) Posted July 1, 2019 Share #22 Posted July 1, 2019 That is so cool!!!! Amazing how similar they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warguy Posted July 1, 2019 Share #23 Posted July 1, 2019 Great detective work. I finally acquired one a couple years ago from another forum collector. This one came directly from the family in a craigs list sale in the Chicago area. Just one more to add to your post reflecting the same hand. Without a doubt, this style helmet with this artist os my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pbaczuk Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share #24 Posted July 1, 2019 Who knows how many he painted during the cross Atlantic transit. He had almost 3 weeks to do it though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12A54 Posted July 12, 2019 Share #25 Posted July 12, 2019 If anyone has a nice quality 1/5 helmet, I would gladly trade my 2/5 pictured above for it. My grandfather served in 2/5 through Belleau Wood, then transferred to 1/5 so I’d prefer to have an example of what he would have worn home. (In fact, I have photos of his homecoming showing his 1/5 helmet, but it is long gone from the family.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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