Old helmet brings back memories of fallen soldier - Pfc. Harold D. Webb of 101st Airb

[N.C. Wyeth]

This is a copy of the text from an article in one of our local newspapers - thought some of you might find this story interesting . . .

When Chris Freeman was 12 years old he spotted an army helmet in a barn on a farm near his home in<ST1 <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on">Froxfield</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></ST1. The helmet was sitting under a tractor and being used to catch oil drippings. Freeman asked the farmer for the helmet, and was told he could have it, but not right then, because it was being used. He went back to the farm several years later and found the helmet sitting on a shelf.
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"It was a bit of a mess," Freeman said, but he cleaned it up and used it to play with while growing up in the 1970s.
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He held on to the helmet, and several years ago began to look into its history. The chinstrap of the helmet had a name and serial number which were still legible. He posted photographs of the helmet and chinstrap on a Web site featuring military artifacts. Within several weeks, someone was able to identify the original owner of the helmet.
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The helmet belonged to Pfc. Harold D. Webb of Amelia, a member of U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division.
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Webb was killed in <st1:City w:st="on">Foy</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region>, during the Battle<ST1 of the Bulge in January 1945 at the age of 19. He was mentioned in Stephen Ambrose's best-selling book "Band of Brothers" about the exploits of the 101st in World War II.
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Freeman realized he had something special. He had started collecting military artifacts, and the helmet became the "crown jewel" of his collection.
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But the story didn't end there.
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Gary Knepp, a <ST1<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Clermont</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></ST1 historian, found out about the helmet and its connection to an Amelia soldier. He said it took about six to eight months to track down some of Webb's relatives. Webb had three sisters who were still alive, and one, Mary Wilson, was living in Cherry Grove. Knepp communicated with Freeman, who had in-laws living in <st1:State w:st="on">Illinois</st1:State> and was planning a trip to the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1United States</ST1lace</st1:country-region>. He convinced Freeman to bring the helmet with him to the states and make a side trip to <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Clermont</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></ST1.
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On Aug. 7, Freeman met with <st1:City w:st="on">Wilson</st1:City> in <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1Batavia, Ohio, </ST1</st1:City>and showed her the helmet.
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"It's unbelievable," <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1lace w:st="on">Wilson</ST1lace></st1:City> said as she held her brother's helmet in her hands.
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"It brings Harold back."

<st1:City w:st="on"><ST1Wilson </ST1</st1:City>was 20 when her 18-year-old brother went away to war. They grew up in a home on <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Chapel Road</st1:address></st1:Street> in Amelia.
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She presented Freeman with a painting of their home, which no longer exists, and a photograph of her brother while he was home on leave. Freeman presented <st1:City w:st="on">Wilson</st1:City> with a handful of earth collected at a memorial in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1Belgium </ST1</st1:country-region>near where Webb was killed. The earth will be placed on Webb's grave at <ST1<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Mt.</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Moriah</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Cemetery</st1:PlaceType></ST1 in Withamsville.
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Freeman plans to keep the helmet in his collection for now. Eventually, he hopes to donate it to a museum.
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"I'm just the keeper of it," he said.
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One part of the mystery was never solved: How the helmet got to a farm in a small village 65 miles west of <st1:City w:st="on"><ST1London.</st1:City>
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Freeman speculates that someone brought it back to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1England</ST1</st1:country-region> as a souvenir after the war. There is no way to know if Webb even was wearing that helmet when he was killed. It might have been an old helmet or a spare helmet, he said.
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But for him and Mary Wilson, it is a very special helmet.<O</O

[paddywhack]

interesting! any pics of the lid??thanks for posting!

[Adrian]

That's a great story, thank you for sharing it.

[N.C. Wyeth]

Here is link to a video from the local newscast about the helmet:

http://www.local12.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=41365@wkrc.dayport.com&navCatId =5&articleID=41365

Enjoy!

(and hope it works for you!)

[MG-Freak]

wow very impressive. Good job!

[PerMilitaria]

Wow! What a story!

[stahlhelm47]

Fantastic story, eerie listening t Freeman tell the exchange with Bill and Babe when he said this is Webb's helmet.

Thanks a million for sharing this story!!!
Pete

[Alan Smith]

My hunch is that the 101 AB soldier lost the helmet in England while his unit was tranining for the invasion. I would have serious doubts that this particular helmet saw combat on the Continent and then made is way back to England, only to serve as a collection container for used motor oil in a farmer's barn. More than likely the farmer picked up the lost training helmet in his field and simply put it to practical use around the farm.

Still, a very interesting story.

[DennyB]

I don't know how strict the accounting was for equipment in WW2 but I know when I was in the U.S. Army 71-73 I had access to several helmets and would periodically trade one off if I found a better one, better paint or less dents, to look better for inspection. There was always a load of extra gear stashed around left by soldiers that had deserted etc.

[N.C. Wyeth]

“It is such an incredible story on so many levels,” said historian Knepp. “This is one of only 10 helmets that are known to have belonged to a member of the Band of Brothers,” adds Freeman, who calls the helmet with Webb’s name on the strap, the crown jewel in his collection of WWII memorabilia. He has secured many autographs of surviving members of the Band of Brothers and said that many were speechless when they learned the helmet belonged to their fallen comrade Webb.</SPAN>