It occurs to me that as 43rd (Recce) Bn, The Reconnaissance Corps (same unit we a discussing here) which was part of 43 (Wessex) Inf Div was based on a battalion of the Gloucester Regt (GLOSTERS), the 5th Bn I think, that you might find answers here; Soldiers Of Gloucestershire Museum
Just a thought.
Regards
Mark
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing he cares more about than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
Hi here,
thank you for your kind help to find out more. I spent the evening reading about the 43rd division, the battle of Caen and the following operations. After spotting all places were the unit was engaged, it turns out that all cities mentioned are more to the south-west of Caen than to the north-east were Bavent is located. It's possible that some guys were sent to Bavent, but more probably the helmet was moved. I will see if I can find out more with the family.
There is probably a great book to read about this regiment - but will be hard to find:
Record of a reconnaissance regiment : a history of the 43rd Reconnaissance Regiment (The Gloustershire Regiment) 1939-1945 / with a foreword by General Sir Ivor Thomas. | Australian War Memorial
I will let you know if I could find more.
While I can't add anything to the historical discussion, I can say that this looks like a cracking helmet. I'm not sure about the sacking cover and net - they both look too perfect to have been used in action; I can't see any wear or breaks around the rim. But then why add them if they cover such rare and desirable insignia?
Matthew
Been having another think about this helmet, the more I think about it the more I have doubts. The recce flash I can understand, but the Wyvern badge is a very prominent decoration to be wearing in Normandy. I haven't found any photographic evidence to prove this happened. Have we all been hodwinked?
I found out my own Wyvern insignia, my Grandfather was in the Wiltshires before WW2, I don't know when this dates from, but I'd always assumed it was wartime.
Different again from the above.
The forked tongue on the transfer on the helmet is different from the ebay decal where it meets up with the teeth at the top.
Cheers,
Steve
...... and the ear
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