Experimental Model No. 7 Sentinel or Machine Gunner's Helmet

Culture American

Date1917–1918

Mediumsteel, paint and leather

Dimensions27 × 20 × 26 cm (10 5/8 × 7 7/8 × 10 1/4 in.), 13 lb 10 oz (weight)

ClassificationsArms and Armor

Credit LineThe John Woodman Higgins Armory Collection

Terms

Object number2014.1176.1

DescriptionSteel, some retaining olive drab paint; leather webbing; foam rubber. (Armet. This is American Helmet Model No. 7—Sentinel’s helmet of 1918. See pp. 218-9, figs. 173, 173A, and 195 of Dean.) This is one of forty examples made in ballistic, nickel-manganese steel (Baker formula; p. 277 of Dean), and is of the middle weight provided.

It is reminiscent in its form, of Italian armets from the second half of the 15th century. It consists of a rounded skull-piece with narrow extension down the back of the neck, and over the sides of this overlap the large cheekpieces of thick steel, hinged at the top to the rear of the temples, and formed with a pronounced chin where the plates overlap right over left, at the front. The basal edge has a downturned flange which is plain, and at the front beneath the chin, the cheekpieces are locked by a pierced steel strip that snaps over a short peg. The front of each cheekpiece is pierced with a U-shaped cut that is formed by a portion of the plate being cut and pushed outward. This provides a small amount of ventilation. Overlapping and riveted to the anterior edge of the skill is a thick, deep brow-plate. This begins at mid-length and slopes down to the eyes, where it has a very narrow, level, pointed peak. The opening formed between this and the upper edge of the cheekpiece provides the sight. The only lining for the helmet is in the skull, brow-plate assembly. This consists of three padded leather cushions riveted to a light metal frame riveted to the helmet. The tops of the pads are pierced, and may be adjusted via a drawstring. All plate edges are plain and unturned. The helmets were pressed by the W.H. Mullins Company (Salem, OH) and heat-treated at the Pittsburg Saw Company. The test conducted in France by the A.E.F. did not prove favorable.
ProvenancePurchased by the museum on 10 June 1940 from Russell Uniform Company (1600 Broadway, NYC). Previously lot #107, U.S. Army Ordnance sale, Middletown Ordnance Reserve Department (Middletown, PA), 19 December 1922. Collection transfer from Higgins Armory, January 2014. $37.50 paid for entire suit.

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