First World War US M1917 helmet

This is a US made M1917 steel helmet used by a member of the 78th Infantry Division. The US initially used the British Mk.1 helmet before manufacturing their own variant,

Nearly identical to the British helmet, the M1917 and later the M1917A1 were used upto the Second World War, being replaced by the M1 helmet, around 1941. Surplus helmets remained in service however with the US Civil Defense.

This particular helmet has been well used and features a shrapnel hole on the right side. WW1 78Th Division helmets seem fairly common and the fashion of adding a painted insignia probably took place in late 1918 or early 1919.