Original U.S. Post-WWII Named 82nd Airborne Division M1-C Paratrooper Helmet with Matching Westinghouse Factory Jump Liner - Sgt. Albert S. Evans, Killed in Auto Accident in 1955
In stock
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Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a scarce and service-worn original U.S. late-WWII M1-C paratrooper helmet, later reissued and modified during the postwar period, named and identified to Sergeant Albert S. Evans, 82nd Airborne Division, who served with the Division stateside from 1947-1955. On January 29th, 1955, while walking along a highway near Spring Lake, North Carolina, he was struck by an automobile, and was killed. He was 26 years old. Both the helmet and liner are well-named to Evans, and this is certainly the helmet he wore during the 100 jumps he made before his death.
The helmet retains the correct airborne shell configuration with swivel bales and snap-equipped chinstraps intended to connect to a jump liner, together with an original Westinghouse factory-produced paratrooper liner and helmet net. The shell is a rear-seam example with partial heat lot stamp J125(?). The helmet net has larger holes and looks great on the helmet. The interior shell has a black box painted with the text:
ALBERT S. EVANS
RA. 15414038
The same is painted along the rim of the shell and liner. The liner is a Westinghouse factory jump liner with chin yokes and a later canvas chincup. The leather chinstrap is retained but is very fragile. The sweatband and suspension have some tearing as shown.
Albert S. Evans was born February 22nd, 1928 at Ava in Noble County, Ohio. He enlisted in the Army in 1947 and was stationed at High Point, N.C. for most of his time in the service. He had made 100 jumps as a paratrooper at the time of his death. On January 29th, 1955, while walking along a highway near Spring Lake, North Carolina, he was struck by an automobile, and was killed. He was 26 years old.
The combination of the named M1-C shell, matching Westinghouse factory jump liner, Evans’ full name and service number, airborne chinstrap configuration, paratrooper chin yokes, canvas chin-cup, surviving helmet net, and documented 82nd Airborne service makes this a particularly compelling postwar airborne grouping. More importantly, the matching identification on both major components gives the helmet unusually strong personal provenance to Sergeant Albert S. Evans, whose long airborne service and 100 recorded jumps make this far more significant than an anonymous M1-C assembly.
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