WWI Army Air Service Wool Flying Helmet

Knitted olive wool flying helmet for American aviators of the First World War. The helmet has an opening for the pilot’s eyes, with four leather reinforced ventilation holes around the circumference of the helmet. The helmet has a strip of four snaps to secure the closure in front, with the lowermost snap missing on this helmet. The crown of the helmet is lined in beige cotton. Attached to the helmet is the original manufacturer tag of the Lion Knitting Mills Company under a contract of January 11, 1918. There is one small hole, about 1/2 inch across, to the side off the eye opening. However, because of the natural tendency of knitted wool to contract, the hole is not really visible unless the material is stretched. Overall excellent, and essentially unused, condition.