Victory helmet :) ? Please help me ID

Hey all. I recently went through a lot of my grandfathers stuff from WWII and found this helmet that I wanted to know more about. The story from my grandmother is that my granddad brought this home with him after WWII. He served in the Pacific on Wake Island and other places in that theater. He told her that his girls friend at the time (in Australia) made it from his service helmet. But I am a little confused: the liner is marked
6 7/8 over VMC over II over 1942. I have looked pretty good around the inside of the rim and inside the helmet (as much as I can see with the liner in place) and I see no helmet manufacturer marking. I think that VMC stands for the Canadian liner manufacturer Viceroy Manufacturing Company. Could a US service man have ended up with a Canadian liner or is the whole thing Canadian..and how did that happen? My grandad said that his girl was so happy on V-J day that she painted it and put the stars on it that night without my grandad knowing and he had to go to his unit the next day without a helmet!! Any ideas? Thanks, Bil

 

The chin strap is definitely WWII and so is the rest. The painting is of course civilian and certainly mad efor a Victory Day party or joke . However this is not a US helmet but definitley a British one and more probably an Australian Commonwealth version too. made in Canada you say ? That would make sense you 'll have to check about that but Commonwealth countries were certainly making gear for each other. The Aussies also made gear for the Americans

 

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During the war, the steel helmets worn by the Doughboys were unadorned. Unit insignia were the first objects painted on helmets, but this was rare before the cessation of hostilities due to the concern that the enemy would gain information from seeing the insignia. But after the guns were silenced, the Doughboy artists got busy with painted insignia, itinerary, maps, pseudo-camouflage, and battle scenes. Some painted helmets were done on commission for American soldiers by German prisoners of war. taken from above link..

 

hello Bill,

6 7/8 is the size of the liner / helmet

VMC does indeed stand for "Viceroy Manufacturing" but is only a Canadian maker of helmet liners......so the helmet was made elsewhere. - try to have a look again around where the chin
strap attachments are located. as stamps are usually found there - but could be lightly stamped / thick coat of paint covering them.

 

Hey all. Thanks for the information. I looked again with a stong flashlight and magnifyer for any marking on the helmet itself and could not find any. I guess somehow my Grandad ended up wearing this helmet rather than his issue one and as a result this is what he was wearing when he went to his girl friend's apt on V-J Day. Interesting. He was about to be shipped out again to some of the foward islands when the end came! Thanks again. Any other stories out there kinda like this? Best regards, Bil

 

Thanks to all for the info. From what I can gather from my cousin, my grandad was attached to an Australian signals unit along the western coast of Australia (I think the western tip) from sometime in 42 until the end of the war. My understanding is that he (I think he maybe was in our Signal Corp and he was a Captain) went from Palmyra island just off the coast of Wake Is. in Dec 41 to Austalia by PT boat and sub (not necessarily in that order). My cousin says that he did something with subs and was stationed south of Carnarvon in Aus. I don't know if this helps. He never spoke to us about his service other than saying that he served with some brilliant folks in Aus. Sorry I don't know more. Everyone who would has passed. I do know of two other things of his that he brought home from the war besides the helmet. One is a brown leather Army Air Corp navigator's briefcase with a bunch of small pencils, a flight computer E-68, several blank log books and an old letter from my grandmother to him. My grandmother said that he always kept his gun (she didn't know what kind but she said bullets went in the handle in briefcase after the war when he was home) so I guess it was a 1911 or an A1. Someone later stole the pistol from his Winnebago. Also he brought home the binocs and their case that he used during the war. The binocs are marked A. Kershaw and Son, Leeds 1941 and the case is marked on the inside of the lid M. E. Co. 1941. I have the binocs and the case and I have the briefcase but my cousin got the contents of the case because he of share and share alike Anyway, I hope this will help fill in some of the blanks in the helmet ID question. Thanks, Bil

 

Hey Bil, interesting story your father had alright, but i'm afraid i dont think it will provide anymore info on the helmet - I could be wrong of course!

 

Well, I sure appreciate everyone looking at my posts. Thanks for all your help. Still a keeper for my book case! Best regards, Bil