You Are Not Going to Believe This Story About My Latest SS Helmet

We've all heard plenty of souvenir anecdotes about how soldiers brought things home from the war. Heck, my four-volume series contain hundreds of these stories. You've also probably heard about how these veterans bartered and traded these relics. This story is one for the books and if I was to write another book, this tale would definitely have made it into print.

It started, like most buying adventures, with a phone call to our office. I was told this fellow had an SS helmet that he had on consignment from a WWII Marine veteran. My initial thought was no way, Jose. I took the call and exchanged pleasantries with Chris Rockhold who is a part time militaria dealer from Louisiana. 

He explained that he was at the Greater New Orleans Military Show run by Trish and Dan Clifton in November (2024), and there was a fellow walking around carrying a cardboard box containing a totally original Model 35 single decal reissue SS helmet in sound condition. Well, of course, dealers and attendees were all over him and throwing him offers left and right as this was the dream of everybody at a gun or militaria show. This is referred to as a "walk in". The helmet is as good as gold but the story was even cooler.

The current owner was Robert F. Peatross and he told Chris his dad was a retired Marine by the name of Oscar F. Peatross. This Marine had won the Navy Cross as a Marine Raider platoon leader on Makin Island in 1942 along with countless other awards. He also fought in Korea and Vietnam. A true stud who gave more than 30 years to the Corps and rose to the rank of Major General. 

None of the above answers the question why this highly decorated Marine ended up with an SS Helmet. Well as fate would have it, this well-trained Marine served as an Amphibious Warfare instructor at Fort Knox in 1949. There were other instructors at the Armored school who were also in WWII who were army officers. Well, they got to talking about WWII war souvenirs with Peatross having some from the Pacific and these army officers having some from the European theatre of operation (ETO). So out came the souvenirs and things got swapped. 

I'm not sure what Oscar had to swap for this cool SS helmet but somehow, I think he got the best of the deal. Along the way, he gave the helmet to his son John M. Peatross from Beaufort SC. In the 1990s John wrapped this baby up, put it in a cardboard box and sent it to his brother Robert F Peatross who was living in Lafayette, Louisiana. 

There it sat in that cardboard box until Robert saw the ad in the newspaper about this militaria show.

The helmet itself is a well-worn Model 1935 SS DD (double decal) helmet by Quist that was reissued as a single decal (SD) keeping the original SS runic decal with a smooth dark green paint. You can still see the party shield decal under the paint if you look hard.

Once it was offered to me, I wasted no time making the deal happen. Everybody has a smile on their face and that's what this hobby is all about!

These smiles extended to the photo of Chris Rockhold on the left holding the helmet and Oscar's son Robert on the right.