In the summer of 2017 a unique item (above) showed up at auction and this reporter was fortunate to obtain it – it appeared to be a press or form for the American pressed fiber sun helmet. Recently a reader explained to me exactly how this item was used, and now it confirms that this was in fact used by Hawley Products Company, the maker of the pressed fiber helmets. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Hawley Products Company
Pressing the Issue
Over the years little has been published on the American pressed fiber sun helmets, and we’ve tried to fill in the gaps. Recently an item came up for auction that should help fill in some of the blanks.
This was what appears to be a mold/press for the Hawley designed helmet. The metal is too heavy to be aluminum, but isn’t magnetic so it is likely some form of pot metal. It is heavy/strong enough for stamping of the lightweight helmets.
A Knight’s Helmet – The Helmet of Mr. Gene D. Knight
When we previously wrote about The Forgotten American Experimental Sun Helmet back in August 2015 we weren’t sure how many of these helmets existed. Then a few weeks later we followed up when collector Marc Giles shared images of just such rare helmet in his collection, along with previously published information on the helmet.
The Hawley Pressed Fiber Sun Helmet – Patented
It has been long established that there were two makers of the American pressed fiber sun helmet –Hawley Products and the International Hat Company. As we’ve previously noted, the USMC blueprints for the helmets dated back to the 1940s, however we’ve been provided with the original patents from 1935 and 1936. These were filed with the U.S. Patent Office by Jesse B. Hawley, the founder of Hawley Products and apparently the original inventor and patent holder of the Hawley sun helmet. Continue reading
The British and Haitian Connection to the Pressed Fiber Sun Helmet
A British-made helmet used by the USMC-led Garde d’Haiti (Private Collection)
The American pressed fiber helmet was used since the 1930s and continues to see use on the shooting range in the USMC to this day. However, its exact origins have been largely forgotten. However, further study and research to the subject reveals that its origins could go back to the late 1920s when the United States was involved in protecting American interests in Haiti.
Apparently too this most American of helmet patterns could actually be based on one of the most British of patterns as well. How this helmet came to be could begin back in 1915 when the USMC began its 20 year reorganization and training of the military of Haiti. Continue reading
More on the American Experimental Sun Helmet
(Collection of Marc Giles)
Since posting last month about “The Forgotten American Experimental Helmet,” more information on this particular pattern has come to light. Apparently the helmet isn’t really so forgotten as it does appear in several reports and even some news accounts.
Even more interesting is the fact that a collector has come forward not only with some additional details but some photos of the actual helmet! Collector Marc Giles currently owns what is for now the only known surviving example of this helmet. Continue reading
The Origin of the Pressed Fiber Helmet – In Perspective
Recently a potential one-of-a-kind item surfaced on eBay. It was a “salesman sample” of the American pressed fiber helmet. What made this particular find so interesting is that it was truly a salesman’s sample in that it wasn’t full size. So why exactly was a one-quarter scale helmet created?