644td Posted May 11, 2022 Share #1 Posted May 11, 2022 I was going to keep this helmet to myself and share with a few others but I’m sharing it because things are not always “textbook”. This is a 1st Cav Occupation fixed loop helmet with a Capac repainted liner. The helmet was painted in the Philippines(1945) before the 1st Cav shipped out on “Operation Magic Carpet” to Japan for Occupation duty. The helmet was given to Nurse 2nd Lt. Bernice A. Bryan by a Trooper in the Philippines due to damage to her helmet. Lt. Bryan carried the helmet with her from the Philippines to Japan. The thing that is not textbook to some if not most collectors is the wide black paint on the helmet. To some that would be a concern but to me that proves inconsistencies and rush to get the helmets ready for the trip to Japan. As the months and years pasted the painting of the patch improved. marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
644td Posted May 11, 2022 Author Share #2 Posted May 11, 2022 Names of sailers, Nurses and other personal on military script. Philippines to Japan to the states. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
644td Posted May 11, 2022 Author Share #3 Posted May 11, 2022 First photo is of Lt. Bryan but the second picture is of 3 nurses and the one on the far right looks similar and was taken in the Philippines, I’m not sure if it her. One photo is prewar and the other is wartime so a person can change some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usmc2004 Posted May 11, 2022 Share #4 Posted May 11, 2022 That’s a really good looking set Marty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
644td Posted May 11, 2022 Author Share #5 Posted May 11, 2022 40 minutes ago, Usmc2004 said: That’s a really good looking set Marty! Thank you John. Most Occupation helmets have a unknown date of when it was painted, etc. so most are a guessing game. 1st Cav were on Occupation duty in Japan for 5 years so dating a helmet was again a guessing game. This one is 1945 and was there with the Troopers in the Philippines and not a replacement that landed in Japan in 46-50. I do not believe stories, so I’ve been researching this helmet for the last 2 months and I know the lineage of the helmet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted May 15, 2022 Share #6 Posted May 15, 2022 Hello. I saw this helmet maybe 15 years ago in Larry Stewart's shop in Mesa, AZ. I recall speaking to him about the hand-applied insignia and how clumsy it appeared. I liked it then and I like it now. And if anyone knows Larry Stewart of Stewart's Military Antiques, they can confirm that you can bank on his word. The note he wrote on the tag are all the provenance you need, in my opinion. You can believe this particular story. Nice helmet. Really nice. I should have bought it way back then.....🥵 Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
644td Posted May 15, 2022 Author Share #7 Posted May 15, 2022 10 minutes ago, JimD said: Hello. I saw this helmet maybe 15 years ago in Larry Stewart's shop in Mesa, AZ. I recall speaking to him about the hand-applied insignia and how clumsy it appeared. I liked it then and I like it now. And if anyone knows Larry Stewart of Stewart's Military Antiques, they can confirm that you can bank on his word. The note he wrote on the tag are all the provenance you need, in my opinion. You can believe this particular story. Nice helmet. Really nice. I should have bought it way back then.....🥵 Jim Thank you Jim, The application of the insignia was a turn off for me in the beginning BUT the more I studied the hemet and researched the Nurse the more I fell in love with it. It is without a doubt a hemet that can be dated to 1945 and shows either a bad painter or one that was hastily done Preparing for occupation duty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
644td Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share #8 Posted July 11, 2022 Another example of a BIG painted insignia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted July 11, 2022 Share #9 Posted July 11, 2022 Great photo!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneaky Posted July 11, 2022 Share #10 Posted July 11, 2022 Lovely helmet and grouping! I like how the painted insignia is discernibly glossy, it stands out nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burning Hazard Posted July 12, 2022 Share #11 Posted July 12, 2022 Photographic evidence does show these were hand painted as each varies from helmet to helmet. Some examples from occupation era Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GITom1944 Posted July 16, 2022 Share #12 Posted July 16, 2022 More variations... Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
644td Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share #13 Posted January 24, 2023 Lt. Bryan served with the 248th GH Luzon in the Philippines and with the 118th SH in Japan during Occupation. She also contracted hepatitis, not sure of the details but during my research, I found out that many service members during WW2 contracted hepatitis due to the yellow fever vaccine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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