HELMET WORN ON D-DAY,J.L.WEST JR, UTAH BEACH.4th DIV 8RCT.

[LIMEY PETE]

A WW2 FIXED BALE HELMET HAS RECENTLY COME INTO MY POSSESSION ALONG WITH PAPERWORK THAT SHOWS IT WAS WORN ON D-DAY ON UTAH BEACH BY A U.S. OFFICER NAMED JOHN [JACK] L WEST JR. CAN ANYONE SUPPLY ME WITH ANY DETAILS ABOUT THIS MAN?????
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT RANK HE HELD ON D-DAY ITSELF AS THE HELMET HAS ORIGINAL LT,S BAR PAINTED ON THE FRONT ONTO WHICH HAS BEEN ADDED AT SOME STAGE A SECOND BAR CONVERTING IT TO A CAPTAINS. I KNOW HE SERVED IN EUROPE UNTIL THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE WHERE HE WAS WOUNDED.
I CAN PROVIDE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE HELMET IF ANYONE WOULD CARE TO EMAIL ME AT PLOMAX474@TALKTALK.NET FOR SOME REASON I CANNOT GET THE PHOTOGRAPHS TO LOAD ON THIS SITE???
J.L. WEST JR, HELMET HAS A PAINTED 4th INFANTRY DIVISION INSIGNIA ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AND A FIGURE 8 FOR THE 8th REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM OF WHICH HE WAS A MEMBER ON THE RIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE PAPERWORK IN MY POSSESSION HE TOOK THE HELMET OFF A CLOSE FRIEND OF HIS WHO WAS KILLED IN APRIL 1944 DURING TRAINING ON SLAPTON SANDS IN DEVON ENGLAND.THE FRIEND WAS A COMPANY SERGEANT IN THE 8th RCT NAMED CLEM SPATISSIE. WEST REPLACED THE HELMET WITH HIS OWN AS HE WANTED TO WEAR THE HELMET AS A REMEMBRANCE TO HIS BUDDY.
THE REAR ORIGINAL N.C.O.s HORIZONTAL BAR HAS BEEN LEFT ON THE HELMET AND A OFFICERS VERTICAL BAR HAS SIMPLY BEEN ADDED TO IT, MAKING THE HELMET VERY DISTINCTIVE!!!!
I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DETAIL CONCERNING EITHER ANY OF THE TWO MEN OR DETAILS ABOUT THE 8th RCT, I KNOW FROM THE PAPER WORK THAT ON JUNE 8th WEST DESCRIBES THE DESTRUCTION OF A GERMAN M.G. NEST NEAR ST.MERE EGLISE,SO OBVIOUSLY THEY MOVED OFF THE BEACH SOON AFTER D-DAY.
J.L. WEST JR DIED ON THE OCTOBER 20th 1999 IN LOS ANGELES, IN 1959 HE RETIRED FROM THE NATIONAL GUARD WITH THE RANK OF COLONEL.
IF YOU CAN SHED ANY LIGHT ON EITHER MEN OR THE 8th RCT NO MATTER HOW SMALL IN DETAIL I WOULD BE MOST GRATEFUL,
THANKS AND VERY BEST WISHES,
"LIMEY" PETE LOMAX,

[Marc Laurenceau]

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