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WWI PAINTED HELMETS


BEAST
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I have only two painted helmets in the collection. Here is one of them- a British Brodie helmet painted with 36th 'Texas' Division insignia.

 

-Chuck

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...and the campaign marking along the side: "Champagny Oct 8th To Oct 29th"

 

Owners initials "MBF" also scratched into the camo finish on back. Helmet came with his 36th patched medic's tunic, also bearing his initials. Trousers too...

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36th ID'd to Corporal Walter Kenney. NARA states that he entered the Army April 25, 1917 at Aurora, NE and was Honorably discharged on June 12, 1919 at Camp dodge, IA. Service number: 1419012. Decorations awarded: WWI Victory Medal and Victory Button. Died November 17, 1972.

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Gents--a simple sample from Battery C 109th Field Artillery Regiment, 28th Infantry Div along with his messkit and cup---a gift from his daughter....

may he rest in well earned peace

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Gents-- for your viewing pleasure a few helmets: first up from the 82nd Infantry Division---my great-uncle Harold's Helmet (328th Field Hospital)---Harold had been a pharmacist in upstate NY before the war and the Army made him a medic: 3 campaign stars on his WW1 Victory medal:St Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, def sector---after the war he went back to his pharmacy---I remember him from my childhood as a nice man and a real gentleman...I wish I could have asked him why he chose these colors on his helmet---he did a great job of carving the 82nd "AA" logo onto his pipe from the war so I'm guessing these colors meant something.....

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And here's a strange helmet I picked up 8 or 9 years ago in Richmond Va from a junk store: you can see the 87th ID Acorn painted on the side---what you can't see is that the acorn details are etched and cross hatched into the metal underneath the paint... and if the painting (though darker in real life than it appears in these pictures) isn't the very first appearance of Tiger Stripes than I don't know what is...somebody in the 87th had way too much imagination or time on his hands....if I hadn't got the way I did and had it for so long I would suspect a recent work of art but....

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And one more for the road---this one is named inside to John Karl, Co D 336th MG BN --- this one has 3 small holes drilled along the rim on each side ---attachment points for face shield?

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Why are the WWI painted helmets painted in non-natural colors? It isn't smart I think?

 

Regards

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jeremiahcable
Why are the WWI painted helmets painted in non-natural colors? It isn't smart I think?

 

Regards

 

Those that are bright and artistic are post war paint jobs done by the vets for parades or just grins. Just about all of the AEF's helmets were textured muddy brown during the fighting.

 

Unit insignias were painted on in Germany or on the way back home on ship.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is a 2nd Division helmet I picked up ,

not the best ,but I like it.

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Next up a 36th Div. helmet I bought from forum member Bugme.

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I just got this one 3 weeks ago. It was found at a local scrap metal yard! Imagine someone turning it in for scrap metal. At that price, they only got about $.25 for it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's my 89th Division 164th Field Artillary Brigade helmet named to a P.F. Rock and his serial number. I haven't researched this lid yet.

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