I have had this item for awhile and finally getting around to taking some photos of the inside for Research and to get a translation of the owners name please.
This is a rare IJN White Pith Helmet. This is a Private Purchase item and are almost assuredly for Officers use. This helmet has a great internal label and the tailors name in English and was made in what was known pre-1945, as the Nederlands Indie city of Soerabaia. At that time Soerabaia was a the huge Dutch naval and strategic port city used in the early war battles taking place in the Java sea. After major defeats at the hands of Japanese airpower the Allied forces were forced to abandon her and eventually all of the Netherland East indies, along with here rich resources of oil and raw materials fell into the hands of Imperial Japan. Post 1945 and after independence from Holland Soerabaia was renamed to Surabaya, Java, modern day nation of Indonesia.
The underside of the brim has a soft green felt like material with a fair amount of mothing - but it is an 80 + year old item and the white display side look very good considering this.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY PHOTOs OF IJN OFFICERS WEARING THIS HELMET WITH THE WHITE SUMMER UNIFORMs OR NY OTHER. I HAVE A JAPANESE BOOK WITH WARTIME PHOTOS OF THIS BUT CAN'T YET FIND IT IN ALL MY PILES OF "STUFF"
This is a rare IJN White Pith Helmet. This is a Private Purchase item and are almost assuredly for Officers use. This helmet has a great internal label and the tailors name in English and was made in what was known pre-1945, as the Nederlands Indie city of Soerabaia. At that time Soerabaia was a the huge Dutch naval and strategic port city used in the early war battles taking place in the Java sea. After major defeats at the hands of Japanese airpower the Allied forces were forced to abandon her and eventually all of the Netherland East indies, along with here rich resources of oil and raw materials fell into the hands of Imperial Japan. Post 1945 and after independence from Holland Soerabaia was renamed to Surabaya, Java, modern day nation of Indonesia.
The underside of the brim has a soft green felt like material with a fair amount of mothing - but it is an 80 + year old item and the white display side look very good considering this.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY PHOTOs OF IJN OFFICERS WEARING THIS HELMET WITH THE WHITE SUMMER UNIFORMs OR NY OTHER. I HAVE A JAPANESE BOOK WITH WARTIME PHOTOS OF THIS BUT CAN'T YET FIND IT IN ALL MY PILES OF "STUFF"
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