Original Item. Only One Available. This is a gorgeous British made Mk. I “Brodie” helmet painted on both sides with the “Rolling W” insignia of the 89th Division. This particular insignia is painted with blue in the center, and is named on the chinstrap to LT. HUGHES. This identifies the helmet to Lieutenant and later Captain Daniel Henry Hughes, who served with the Headquarters Company, 355th Infantry Regiment throughout the war, serving as one of its Lieutenants and then the commander of the entire company. The regiment saw heavy fighting in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensives, as well as the Lorraine sector.

The paint is in very good condition both inside and outside the helmet, with the expected wear from service. The liner is present, and is in very good condition, with great looking oilcloth and netting. The chinstrap is complete and in great shape overall, reading LT. HUGHES. The rim of the helmet is stamped with F.K.S. 2, for Thomas Firth and Son. This plus the split-rivet chinstrap bales indicates this as a British-manufactured helmet.

Lt. Hughes was from Montrose, Colorado, and saw all of the heavy fighting with the 89th Division. A great research project!

A great example of an authentic WWI "Doughboy" helmet from the 89th Division, fully identified to a Captain from Colorado! Ready to display!

History of the 89th Division:
The 89th Division was officially activated in August 1917 under the command of Major General Leonard Wood. The division was inactivated in May 1919. The division was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve (present-day United States Army Reserve) on 24 June 1921 and assigned to the states of Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota. The headquarters was organized on 2 September 1921.
WWI:

- Activated: August 1917.
- Overseas: June 1918.
- Major Operations: St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne.
- Casualties: Total-7,091 (KIA-980; WIA-6,111).
- Inactivated: May 1919.

History of the M1917 Helmet
The M1917 was the US Army's first modern combat helmet, used from 1917 and during the 1920s, before being replaced by the M1917A1. The M1917A1 helmet was an updated version of the M1917 and initially used refurbished WW1 shells.

The M1917 is a near identical version of the British Mk.I steel helmet, and it is important to note that when the US joined the Great War in 1917 they were initially issued with a supply of around 400,000 British made Mk.Is, before production began state side. The M1917 differed slightly in its lining detail, and exhibited US manufacture markings.

M1917 helmet liners typically show a paper label at the crown and the dome rivet head. The liner is set up as on the British versions, with an oilcloth band and net configuration, attached to a leather strap, riveted to the shell. The chinstrap is leather with steel buckle.