On September 7, 1917, the men from Company K of the 110th Pennsylvania Infantry marched from the now Robert C. Wiley Armory in Waynesburg PA to the old Waynesburg and Washington Railroad Station on the south end of town. As steam billowed from the stack on the locomotive, the men loaded up before a crowd of onlookers and departed on the first step of their journey to train at Camp Hancock Georgia. Eventually they would find themselves on the battlefields of France.
On July 29, 1918, the men of Company K would take heavy casualties, losing a total of 18 men in a short period of time. Those 18 men are now remembered as the Rain Day Boys for making the ultimate sacrifice on the local holiday of Rain Day.
Many stories have been recorded on the Rain Day Boys and the men of Company K. They are a group of people that will be remembered for many generations to come thanks to the work of local historians and archivists who have taken great effort to preserve their memory.
Our featured artifact this month relates to Company K and WWI. Known as a “doughboy” helmet or a Brodie Helmet, this design was patented in London in 1915 by John Brodie and quickly became a staple in military units throughout the world. This helmet has a red painted keystone on the front that signifies that the wearer was part of the 28th Infantry or “Keystone” Division, the parent organization of the 110th Infantry.
While it is unknown who this helmet originally belonged to, it was almost certainly present on that train on September 7, 1917, when so many brave men left their homes, some for the last time.
