Named Kelly Helmet
Hello everyone! I just want to share a helmet I got at the SOS and ask a couple of questions.
For $100, I was able to pick up this Kelly helmet. The original owner left his name (Tom Strelecki) and service number (3302433) on the liner. He also scratched his name into the shell. After doing some research, I was able to find out that his name was Thomas Michael Strelecki and that he was drafted in 1941. Now here’s two of my questions. First off, what does the giant D111 mark mean? And secondly, would this helmet still be considered an m1917a1 because this is one of British manufactured helmets use by America. The terminology confuses me and I am not too sure if only the American made helmets (Both refurbed ww1 and 1930s) were considered to be m1917a1’s.
For $100, I was able to pick up this Kelly helmet. The original owner left his name (Tom Strelecki) and service number (3302433) on the liner. He also scratched his name into the shell. After doing some research, I was able to find out that his name was Thomas Michael Strelecki and that he was drafted in 1941. Now here’s two of my questions. First off, what does the giant D111 mark mean? And secondly, would this helmet still be considered an m1917a1 because this is one of British manufactured helmets use by America. The terminology confuses me and I am not too sure if only the American made helmets (Both refurbed ww1 and 1930s) were considered to be m1917a1’s.
And for my last question, is this chinstrap normal? Rather than having the metal restraining piece at the end of the chinstrap, there is just a material loop to hold back any excess material. Was this a common thing, because I haven’t been able to find any other examples online.
Thanks for reading and I would love any thoughts for the questions asked!
