Immediate Release
August 7, 2009
Batavia, Ohio. As Mary Wilson gently touched the helmet, once worn by her brother Harold, she quietly said, “This is so hard to believe, after all these years.” Harold Webb was only 19-years-old, drafted into the U.S. Army, when he died during combat; Harold and his Easy Company were part of the 101st Airborne Division, portrayed in the popular Stephen Ambrose book and HBO movie “Band of Brothers.” Today, the Englishman who found the helmet when he was a child, delivered on a promise to come to Clermont County and show it to Webb’s family.
“I first saw the helmet in a family barn where it was being used as a drip pan for a tractor with a cracked axle,” said Chris Freeman of England. “Many years later, I showed it to a friend who has a Web site featuring WWII artifacts. Through that site, I came in contact with Gary Knepp of Miami Township who located Webb’s sister, Mary. My wife is from Illinois, so I promised that when we came for a visit, we would bring the helmet with us for the Webb family to see.”
“It is such an incredible story on so many levels,” said historian Knepp. “This is one of only 10 helmets that are known to have belonged to a member of the Band of Brothers,” adds Freeman, who calls the helmet with Webb’s name on the strap, the crown jewel in his collection of WWII memorabilia. He has secured many autographs of surviving members of the Band of Brothers and said that many were speechless when they learned the helmet belonged to their fallen comrade Webb.
As a thank you to Freeman, Mary Wilson presented him with a photo of her brother and a picture of the Webb family home in Amelia.
Pictured above: Chris Freeman of England shows the helmet, once worn by Harold Webb, to his sister Mary Wilson of Clermont County.
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For additional information about this or other county news, contact Clermont County Communications Director Kathryn Lehr at (513) 732-7597 or by e-mail, klehr@co.clermont.oh.us.