Grouping, Lt. Frank Eldredge, US Navy & RNVR, LST-287, D-Day, Gold Beach

Rare genuine WWII US Navy grouping, which belonged to some F.P. Eldrege and includes the following elements:

- M1 helmet, featuring fixed bales and front rim seam, made by McCord, shell number 305B, adorned with a painted Lieutenant rank insignia on either side of the shell, and bearing mention 'Captain' under number 120 on the front; canvas chinstrap with brass buckle and hook; liner manufactured by Mine Safety Appliances, retaining cotton web suspension and neckband, leather sweatband, OD-painted A washers, and leather chinstrap; the paint has been scratched on the front of the liner, using a stencil, to make number 30 appear;

- N-2 rain parka jacket, of the synthetic resin-coated cotton cloth, slip-on type, showing initials 'U.S.N.' on the left breast and mention 'Captain' painted on the back; contract number NXsx 38530 indicates a production by Cambridge Rubber Co. between October 1943 and June 1944; size: Medium ;

- white cotton cloth jumper, of the type intended for being worn in warm and tropical climates, on which name F.P. Eldrege has been inked;

- corpus of iconographic documents, comprising a large print showing destroyer USS Goodrich (DD-831) and on the reverse of which the ink stamp of some French photo studio located in Toulon is visible, as well as two postcards and five personal pictures, in which the same officer can be seen — probably the above-mentioned F.P. Eldrege — sometime wearing his US Navy outfit, sometime a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve uniform.

Nice homogeneous set, in good overall condition.

Frank Pender Eldredge was born on February 28, 1914 in Brooklyn, New York City and joined the US Navy on August 16, 1941. At his own request, he was soon attached to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve with the rank of Temporary Lieutenant, prior to returning to duty with the US Navy to command USS LST-287 from December 15, 1943 to September 16, 1944, and later USS LST-1044 from March 2, 1945 to December 21, 1945. On June 6, 1944, USS LST-287 transported some elements of the 24th Lancers to Gold Beach, supporting the 50th British Infantry Division; the following day, the ship picked up a British pilot downed on D-Day. Frank Eldredge passed away on September 27, 2006.

https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/16/160287.html

https://www.navsource.net/archives/10/16/161044.html

Illustration documents not mentioned above are available in digital format only.