British Brodie 102nd MG Bn Recycled & Renamed to Marine Aviation Sergeant!

[Michael the Young AEF Guy]

Hi everyone! Excited for my first post in this fantastic section which I hope to contribute to a great deal going forward. Here's a helmet I acquired recently that I spent a day researching, only to find another name that threw me for a spin. I've been learning a great deal about the AEF, its divisions, and its regiments, and the 26th division has been a very interesting one to learn about. Painted insignia for different units, very interesting! I bought this helmet believing it to be a 102nd MG Battalion, which it is, but a name on the chinstrap led me to a different conundrum: "SGT W H TRUPP USMC". I found this to be Sergeant William H Trupp, First Squadron, First Marine Aviation Force.

 

Trupp first enlisted on November 5th, 1915, serving in Haiti from 1916-1917, as 16th Company, 2nd Regiment, 1st Provisional Brigade, before transferring a few times, eventually to the Aeronautic Detachment, Usmc, U S Naval Air Station, Miami, Florida in February 1918, training in aviation until August 1918 when he went overseas as part of the First Squadron, First Marine Aviation Force, Field D, France. He would participate in aerial bombing raids in the Ypres-Lys Sector (British) in September, October, and November 1918. He would become First Sergeant of his squadron, first temporarily from October 29th-31st, then permanently from January 1919 to November 1919 from what I can find. He would reenlist several more times, serving again in WWII as a staff officer stateside, eventually retiring at the rank of Major. Any further information on Trupp that I didn't find is appreciated!

 

This helmet would have been issued to Trupp between the months of February - November 1918, as these were the months he was officially a Sergeant as indicated on the writing. From what I've been told this is likely a recycled helmet, used early on by the 102nd MG Bn, then recycled and issued to Trupp. If any of the info I wrote is wrong, please let me know! Thanks for reading!!!

[stratasfan]

Very interesting find! Bet that was a super fun discovery and research! Is that faint camo painting or just the old finish? Were you able to discover his birth date at all?

[stratasfan]

Oh, never mind! I found him! From Ohio, too! :)  What fun!

 

 

 

[stratasfan]

In the 1920 and 1930 census, he's in Miami, Dade County, FLA and working as an auditing accountant. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Michael the Young AEF Guy]

6 minutes ago, stratasfan said:

Oh, never mind! I found him! From Ohio, too! :)  What fun!

 

 

 

Yes, it was very interesting to find that he had seen actual experience with USMC aviation, as I've only ever read about it. I've never seen let alone owned an item associated with them. Thanks for the help!