It’s a great series; read some of the accounts of people like von  Manstein, Guderiam, Warlimont to get a better understanding of the entire war and not just the US perspective. The war in the Pacific battles numbered in the thousands and the battles Om the Eastern Front numbered in the hundreds of thousands and millions. Context and perspective matters.   Kurt

A few clarifications. I just finished the book "Spitfires" which is about the American women who flew with the British ATA. I have also read  a LOT of books about the WASPs.    While this bible was hers, Helen was not a WAAC. When she came back from England, she flew with the WAFS before they merged with this WASPS. This could be why she wrote AUX before her name.    Wherever you found the article about her, they are incorrect. The WASPS were never part of the military. They earned their distinctive WASP wings not the Army Air Force wings.    While her early life may have been interesting, she died of an overdose in 1947 at the young age of 38.  Her death was ruled a suicide.    These women went thru a lot serving our country then were told they were not needed and forgotten when they came home. So many people have no clue American women flew for the British ATA.    ...Kat        

Read about Lend-Lease.

Also is the rework sticker should indicate NARF Norfolk or NARF North Island, or possibly something else? This could at least tell you which fleet the seat was part of.    Also like to add, these seats  were removed every 224 days from the airframe. The seats were gone over with a rigid and well defined inspection. Most of the time the same seat was re-installed after satisfactorily completing the inspection. Sometimes a discrepancy was found and required a higher maintenance level and a different seat was then installed.    The seats were also removed and inspected every 400 flight hours.    I don’t think Martin-Baker would have any idea what the original bureau number was. I think you would have a better chance identifying the original Buno by contacting Grumman. They are the one who built the complete Aircraft. Probably unlikely that Grumman would even know.    Chris. 

Regardless, what I have doesn't look like what you show on the infantry blanket roll.

Probably going to be difficult to find any history on the seat. As you know, those seats were installed in many different airframes over their service life. The seats themselves had individual logbooks. Those seat logbooks became a sub-section of the Aircraft logbook. Engines were treated the same way.    I would expect any airframe that has survived as a static display might possibly have surviving logbooks. Most airframes have been scrapped and I would think those logbooks might not survive.    Is your seat marked “Pilot” or “RIO” near the headrest?   Chris

The US and UK had the Japanese to fight over thousands of miles of the Pacific/Asia. The Russians did not. They joined in during the last few days for the spoils.     W

Bottom looks like Vietnam War era-1956 type,  i think its an M11

I can’t even put into words how grateful I am Matt! Reading all of this is really mind-blowing! Especially the news articles and personal letters! Thank you so much  Michael

Pic taken around 1978-79 when I  was a kid.   Cream of the crop was a genuine Red Ball Express patch.   My WWII vet grandfather and Vietnam vet Uncle would get me these from garage sales and stuff.  My grandfather was a WWII navy vet, on the USS Whitney AD-4 destroyer tender. My Uncle was a Little Bird- Loach helicopter pilot in Vietnam.   John