Bavarian OR M95 to reserve

J.LeBrasseur

Administrator
Staff member
Been a busy day of getting helmets in the mail, this one came from Friends in the North in Vancouver Canada.

Nice looking OR M95 Bavarian to Reserve, with lots of names etc.

Previous owner did some research and this is what he found below.

Enjoy

James

The interior of the Picklehaube is marked by the maker and its size, (Hans Romer 1914, size 56). It is also marked to the German soldier (Helbig B BRE11ZEL). Also marked on the visor and rear are (A CREWE, 8th CAN). My limited investigation indicates this is named to Arthur Crewe 461219, 8th Battalion CEF, he was wounded and ultimately repatriated shortly after the Vimy Ridge battle and would have fought against 16th Bavarian Division and or the 79th Reserve Division during that battle.














 
Very nice helmet James,
Love the markings.
Looks like “Helbig” was the last soldier to use this helmet, but it is such a common name that there are many entries in the Bavarian casualty list. The previous owner, now crossed out, which I read as “Brentzel”, has a less common name, with only one entry in the Bavarian casualty list up to 1917, Joseph Brentzel from Kapsweyer, Pfalz. The entry is from June 22nd 1917, which sort of fits with the Vimy battle (normally casualties show up in the list after a couple of weeks, not two months).
Regards,
Lars
 
James:

Another nice helmet with the added attraction of having a connection to Vimy Ridge.

The 8th Battalion, Winnipeg's "Little Black Devils" fought alongside the 5th Battalion (Western Cavalry) as part of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division. The 8th Battalion along with the 15th "48th Highlanders of Toronto bore the brunt of the poison gas unleashed for the first time during the German attack at 2nd Ypres on April 24th 1915. The 8th remained in their trench and didn't yield an inch of ground despite their Ross rifles continually jamming on them.

One of my prized medal groups is the trio and MID (Mentioned in Dispatches) of the 8th"s RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) who was killed during the fighting at 2nd Ypres.

So, a great helmet connected to a great C.E.F. battalion. and the iconic action at Vimy Ridge One I'd love to have on my shelf..

Cheers:
Steve
 
Three cap badge variations and a sweetheart pin from this CN Battalion:
IMG_4116.jpeg
The sweetheart pin is marked Sterling. The Latin Motto translates to "Named by the Enemy". In 1885 the Battalion took part in ending a rebellion in Western Canada. Their dark green uniforms looked black to the rebells and thus the name which has remained to this day. Part of my small CEF collection.
IMG_4118.jpeg
 
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James
Great addition to your collection; veteran bring back with opponent named souvenir! Add to it the great condition of the Pickelhaube, it does not get much better.
Best regards
John
 
James
Great addition to your collection; veteran bring back with opponent named souvenir! Add to it the great condition of the Pickelhaube, it does not get much better.
Best regards
John
I very much comply with this comment, these names added to the location, historical attributed artifacts are so much more interesting than the objects on their own.
 
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