Original U.S. WWI 84th Infantry Lincoln Division M1917 Doughboy Helmet with Insignia Etched into Finish & Liner - 309th Ammunition Train
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Original Item: One-of-a-Kind. This is a fantastic genuine Great War M1917 Doughboy helmet with the 84th Division Railsplitters insignia etched to the front. The helmet features an American Eagle with axes to each side, with Field Artillery cannons etched into the left and right side of the helmet. The unit is 309 AT A, for the 309th Ammunition Train, Company A.
The underside of the rim is stamped ZC 196, indicating that the shell is a U.S. manufactured shell, and not British. The solid rivets attaching the chin-strap bales further confirm this.
The 84th Division in World War I, personnel were first enlisted from the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Kentucky and were formed into an infantry division in 1917, whereupon they chose the formation's distinctive patch and nickname: "The Railsplitters". Organized at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, in Sept., 1917. The division was composed of National Army drafts from Indiana and Kentucky, and remained in training at Camp Taylor until Aug., 1918. It was deployed to France in October 1918 to serve as a training formation for replacements which would be sent to the Western Front. At the war's end, the formation was recalled home and, without having seen combat actions, inactivated in January 1919.
Tradition has it that the division traces its lineage to the Illinois militia company in which a young Captain Abraham Lincoln served during the Black Hawk War of 1832. The division patch was selected to honor this legacy and the division's origin in Illinois. For this reason, the alternative nickname of "Lincoln County" Division" has been used to denote the 84th.
Its commanders included Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (25 August 1917), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (6 October 1917), Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (26 November 1917), Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (15 December 1917), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (1 March 1918), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (5 June 1918), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (21 July 1918), Brig. Gen. Wilber E. Wilder (18 October 1918), Maj. Gen. Harry C. Hale (31 October 1918).
The helmet is in great shape and shows real use in the field. The liner is well-retained but the chinstrap is absent. The finish is great and gives the set a lot of character.
A great helmet, ready for further research and display.
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