Original Item: Only One Available. This is an extremely rare example of an original U.S. Marine Corps M1917 "Doughboy" helmet, which is marked on the front with a 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, “2nd Infantry” Division insignia. All U.S.M.C. WWI helmets are rare, but particularly those bearing specific unit insignia.

This very nice example is unfortunately just a shell without liner, chinstrap and is missing one of the chinstrap bales. More importantly, the front still has a genuine blacked brass WWI USMC EGA Badge over the division insignia! The hole made for the insignia has the appearance of being drilled, but after a closer inspection it has the possibility of being punched, then flattened and cleaned up.

The shell is maker marked with a stamping on the underside of the rim that reads FS 38. This maker marking indicates that this is a British produced shell, which is further indicated by the split rivets used to retain the chin strap bales. The “FS” is the marking for Thomas Firth & Sons Ltd of Sheffield who manufactured helmets from 1916-1918. This firm also produced shells as being marked “F” and most likely used “FKS” according to research.

The outer shell still has some remnants of original paint. There is some dirt and rust on the shell, which we left in place to preserve the patina. There also are a few dents on the crown of the shell and the brim has a wavy appearance.

The best feature of this helmet however is definitely the original hand painted 3rd Battalion 5th Marine Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division - Indianhead Division emblem in the center of the front of the helmet. Marines under this division used specific colors and shapes behind the "Indianhead" to designate which unit they were in, and the "blue square" indicates the 3rd battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, part of the 4th Marine Brigade. The Unit Insignia maintains almost all of the original paint and remains bold and easy to see, though it is a bit faded due to dirt, which we have left to preserve the authenticity.

3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, along with the rest of the 5th Marine Regiment, was first organized on June 8, 1917, as the United States prepared for World War I. The battalion was composed of four companies: the 16th, 20th, 45th and 47th. Six days later, manned by Spanish–American War and Boxer Rebellion veterans along with a large number of raw recruits, they set sail for France. They participated in campaigns and battles such as Bois de Belleau, Vierzy, Château-Thierry, Pont-a-Mousson, Limey Sector, Fleury, Meuse-Argonne, Blanc Mont, St Michiel, Leffincourt and Soissons. The French Government recognized the young battalion by presenting it the Croix de Guerre along with the Fourragère and changing the name of a French landmark, Belleau Wood, to "Bois de la Brigade de Marine" or "Wood of the Marine Brigade".

The U.S. Marine Corps did not field divisional size units during WWI, so they were made part of the divisions of the U.S. Army. In fact, the entire 2nd Division was for a time during WWI commanded by U.S.M.C. Major General John A. Lejeune himself!

This is a wonderful RARE example of a genuine USMC Great War helmet, complete with divisional insignia, all original and ready to display!