Awesome!!!!
The majority of today's Canadian Service personnel would easily recognize the name Ortona and many civilians would recognize it as one of Canada's most significant battles of WWII, right up there with Dieppe, D-Day, the Falaise Gap and the Liberation of Holland.
Ortona, despite being a relatively small town became renowned for the vicious fighting and was nicknamed "Little Stalingrad", defended by German troops (90th Panzer Grenadiers) and elite Fallshirmjagers (1st Division). The streets became so dangerous that the Canadians started 'rat holing' through the walls to go building to building versus travelling through the streets. The Canadians would often set off charges blowing a hole in the wall with Germans in the next room, then they would throw in a few grenades and sometimes even a bren-gun hoping it would catch on automatic fire which in turn would fill the room with shrapnel and lead. I remember reading one article that stated the US Army developed this room to room technique in Iraq, the author was clearly not aware that the tactic was developed 60 years earlier by the Canadian Forces. Despite their innovation, the Canadians still suffered 2,605 casualties (two of which were Private Pikes wounds).
Nevertheless the battle was won and became known as one of the first major independent Canadian victories of the war. The fighting was comparable to the Battle of Berlin in its intensity and I have watched about a dozen documentaries discussing the battle. We even have a painting of the Battle of Ortona hanging in our Officers Mess and I have personally made a pilgrimage to Ortona, the Moro Valley and the Commonwealth Cemeteries in the surrounding area.
The battle was also significant to me as I was born in Edmonton. Fighting in the Battle was also the Loyal Edmonton Regiment (my father was a reservist with the Loyal Eddies when he was 16-18). I remember reading an article back in the 1990's where surviving German and Canadian Vets who fought against each other on Christmas Day at Ortona, got together on the 50th Anniversary and had a Christmas Dinner together.
The Moro Valley was also no piece of cake. It was there that Capt Paul Triquet won the first Canadian Victoria Cross in Italy. The Victoria Cross is the highest honour/medal that a solider within the Commonwealth could be presented and to this day is the highest award for bravery within the Canadian Forces
Below are two websites. One has several pictures of Ortona and the Moro Valley. The second site is actually a radio broadcast from 1943, where you can hear the shelling of the artillery barrage in the background.
http://wwii.ca
http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/second_world_war/clips/9854/
If you don't want that helmet I am sure the Canadian Military Museaum in Ottawa would be more than willing to accept it and to find it a great home.