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My Grandfathers World War 1 Issued Brodie Helmet


The Rooster
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The Rooster

Greetings all.

Im sure most folks know that when America entered WW1 we did not have enough of anything to equip our army at first.

Including helmets. Uncle Sam purchased some 600,000 Britsh Brodie Helmets to issue to the arriving troops.

The helmet I show here was issued to my Grandfather when he got to France.

He didn't mark it and it doesn't have any unit on it. But it was his helmet. He brought it back with him.

Its in good shape except for the strap. Its pretty well rotting at this point.

 

He met my Grandmother in France. and in the early 1920;s he went back and married her and brought her back to America.

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The Rooster

A couple shots of my Grandfather with different amounts of stripes on sleeve cuffs. Different time periods...

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The Rooster

Grandma and grandpa prob early in war judging by lack of stripes and unit patch on Grandpas sleeve.

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The Rooster

And finally… Prob some time after they first met…….

My Grandmother wearing my Grandfathers tunic and The helmet at the top of this post and his gas mask.

You might be wondering how he was able to meet her? Im not really sure. But I do know he had a Kodak Brownie Camera and I have it also. And that he was a clerk on Pershings staff at AEF Headquarters so he apparently lived pretty good. I talked with him in 1988 and he was about 90 years old. I asked him how he lived and what the food was like. He ate great and lived good. He was fortunate.

 

 

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The Rooster

Im not sure whats going on in the left shot. But on the right , my Grandfather stands in a ruined French Village.

There are 4 photo albums. and a pack of French Postcards.

Legit tourist scenes not what you're thinking… lol lol

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aerialbridge

Im not sure whats going on in the left shot. But on the right , my Grandfather stands in a ruined French Village.

There are 4 photo albums. and a pack of French Postcards.

Legit tourist scenes not what you're thinking… lol lol

 

rooster, I never thought that for a second. B) Seriously, a fantastic dough-boy helmet, photos and family history of his service on Pershing's staff and meeting your grandmother "over there". Thanks for posting these. It's great that you knew him and had the chance to hear first hand about his experiences during the war. All the best, ab.

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Jeffrey Magut

Im not sure whats going on in the left shot. But on the right , my Grandfather stands in a ruined French Village.

There are 4 photo albums. and a pack of French Postcards.

Legit tourist scenes not what you're thinking… lol lol

 

The photo on the left shows part of the Pantheon de la Guerre, an enormous mural painted to include famous people involved in the war. 402 feet long by 45 feet high, it was the largest painting in the world.

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M24 Chaffee

To have your grandfather’s helmet, the photos and family time spent with him is fantastic! Thanks for posting!

 

Frank

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Wow, that's an awesome grouping to have from your grandfather. Do you have his helmet and photos setup in a display? I think having his helmet, photos, and the camera he used displayed together would be a fantastic way to remember you grandfather and his service. I really love seeing the period photos, especially the picture of your grandmother wearing your grandfathers helmet and tunic!

 

It's really fantastic that your family held on to these items. My grandfather served during the Korean War (though was never in country) and two of my great uncles served in WWII and unfortunately, to my knowledge, we don't have any of their equipment. My father's cousins (great uncles' children) may have some items or documentation but we have never been very close with that portion of the family for whatever reason. My father and I just went though some of the old pictures we have from my grandparents to look for any taken during my grandfathers service and it turns out that, while we have many pictures that appear to be taken during training, almost all of them are of people other than my grandfather!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 years later...
On 7/10/2019 at 10:35 PM, The Rooster said:

A couple shots of my Grandfather with different amounts of stripes on sleeve cuffs. Different time periods...

post-181333-0-12748500-1562823283_thumb.jpg

@The Rooster,

 

Hey! Wanted to let you in on the patch your grandfather is wearing on the right photo. Appears to be the red-on-blue “SOS” patch which was worn by members of the base center in the “Service of Supply.” 
 

Here is a thread explaining what these men did and photographs of original patches:

 

 

Fantastic grouping and story! Thank you for letting us check this great set of items out!

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

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Dave, wonderful family history and heirlooms. I am glad this post was refreshed. My great grandfather served for the British in WWI, but I have.a couple of studio photos of him in uniform, his marching compass and his medal trio. I treasure them more than anything else in my collection. Great grouping you have there. 

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