US Uniforms

[Murrough]

collar detail

[Mitter2k1]

Murrough that is a great coat and the history behind it is amazing. The coat itself is a M1918 "Pershing" tunic. These had the pockets hung on the inside to conserve wool. It has some very interesting vegetable ivory buttons that may of been added after he acquired it. They are a nice touch and usually you see the blackened bronze buttons. It appears this gentleman spent 12 months overseas indicated by the 2 upside down chevrons on the bottom left sleeve. The red chevron above it is for Honorable Discharge.

If you have any questions, ask away. Chris or myself are very willing to assist in any way.

Thanks for adding your coat.

Mike

[trenchtrotter]

I have very little American stuff in my collection. This 4th Div tunic and cap, water bottle and a USMC brodie....thats it.

The tunic is a very dark green and not the lighter version one normally sees. Nice patch plus Army Of Occupation add on. It cam with a set of breeches too. The bootle is nice as it has the mess tin / cup underneath. The cup is hand engraved, Chix Chambbers, England, Ireland, Wales, France, then ALC? plus the medics staff and sepant device as used by the Americans. It was a seperate buy yo the tunic. Enjoy

TT

PS Chris this is not your missing 4th Div tunic.......

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[4thGordons]

PS Chris this is not your missing 4th Div tunic.......

Harumph!...... My better half has indicated that if I have lost an entire uniform then that obviously means I have too many. I am in the process of setting up a dress form to take some proper photos of my US Uniforms to add here and I hope when I gather them together for that process it will surface. I am sure I stored it separately to "keep it safe" but there are only so many places I could have put it...and I think I've checked them!

In the meantime here is something a bit different.

The Jumper and Bell Bottoms of SJ Lippman (Springfield Missouri) who served as a Seaman in the USN in the second half of 1918.

I find US Naval uniforms very difficult to date (as the same basic style is in place for so long and there are so many (inconsistent) variations. Colour is supposed to be a guide but that varies widely, the presence (or otherwise) of a neck-chief loop on the front of the jumper (likewise inconsistent) about the simplest seems to be hand stitched vs machine stitched stars (machine stitched apparently coming in in the 30s) - anyway as this was an identified group I felt safer!) I only have a few navel items but here's one until I find that 4th Div. Coat!

Chris

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[Mitter2k1]

Here are 3 more wool uniforms I added to the collection. The first is a M1917 wool coat that belonged to a corporal in the infantry. I actually purchased this one from Bay State Militaria. This coat is in excellent condition. It is not lined and the edges seem to be left in the "rough". It is tagged and was made by Henry Sonneborn & Co., Inc. in Baltimore, Maryland. The contract number is 847 and is dated Sept. 8 or 9, 1917 and it came out of the Philadelphia Depot.

[Mitter2k1]

This is a cotton lined M1917 made by L. Margulies & Co., New York. The contract is March 14, 1918 and numbered 1243-? The last part is unreadable and it came out of the New York Depot and inspected by Joseph Brown. This one has the US and Artillery collar disks. The wool overall is very coarse and rough in comparison to the infantry coat that is what I would consider quite soft. The lining of the sleeves is a nice pea green color and overall condition is pretty good.

[Mitter2k1]

Here is the last one, a M1912 wool coat. It has rimless eagle buttons and tapered shoulder boards. The pocket flaps are pointed and the sleeves have the typical 2 rows of stitching. It is named and the tag is present and legible. Here's the tag as it was difficult to photograph.

Morris Busch
11--12--10
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Depot
QM Dept. USA
MAR 16, 1912
Hos. W. MacNeal
Examiner
Another interesting feature is the 3 hooks that help hold the front shut. They start 3" below the bottom button and are spaced approximately 3" apart and end at the bottom. I was told that these were actually added later by the soldier. The coat itself is actually called a transitional coat. The earlier model would of had the standing falling collar with 2 grommets on each side, gusseted pockets, rimless eagle buttons and pointed cuffs. This one has the standing collar with one grommet on each side, flat pockets, rimless eagle buttons and straight stitched cuffs. This coat was worn by a gentleman in the Oklahoma National Guard and I need to take the time to photograph the breeches that came with it and the writing on the inside of both of those. But this one is in rough shape but still a decent representation of what could of been worn by a National Guard unit in the AEF.
Thanks for looking,
Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Harumph!...... My better half has indicated that if I have lost an entire uniform then that obviously means I have too many. I am in the process of setting up a dress form to take some proper photos of my US Uniforms to add here and I hope when I gather them together for that process it will surface. I am sure I stored it separately to "keep it safe" but there are only so many places I could have put it...and I think I've checked them!

Chris I am willing to take donations to help your wife's cause. I think I can work out a spot to put your surplus uniforms

That Navy uniform is nice though. And to be honest, I couldn't say for sure if a Naval uniform is WWI or not. I do like the look of the ones with the standing collar and the detail that goes from the collar to the bottom below the buttons. I do not know the official term for the style of uniform or the greenish woven looking material that I am talking about.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here is a summer uniform setup I put together on a mannequin I recently purchased. Overall it doesn't look half bad.

Mike

[4thGordons]

Here's one I don't think we have had yet.

This is an M1918 "Pershing" Coat (Pockets on the inside rather than patches on the outside) but British made.

Unlined, of coarser, thinner, slightly browner wool. It has the remains of a paper label which appears to have said Coats USA Olive Drab Wool and then presumably sizing information, and with a British War Department Inspector's stamp

It is a small size (not fitting on the dress form I usually use) and has overseas service chevrons, a discharge chevron and a nice 3rd Division "rock of the marne" patch.

Chris

[Mitter2k1]

That's a beauty, Chris! Are the stripes on the patch made from metallic tape? It is a great coat and I have been eyeing a couple of British made coats that have popped up on eBay as of late. I am just not too sure as to what I am looking at, so I am a little hesitant.

As always, thanks for sharing,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here is a beat up coat and pants I picked up dirt cheap for use on my mannequin. They are a nice mustard color and presumably are original to one another. The coat is tagged and was made by the Frankel Bros. in New York City with the contract dating March 18, 1918. The specification number is 1285 and the tag was stamped with 03512 in red. I am not sure what this is as I have never seen one that has this. The breeches also still retain the tag and they were made by Krieger, Frankel Co., Inc. as 62 West 14th St., New York. The contract on these is dated March 15, 1918 and the number is 1274-N with the spec number being 1286. They are a bit mothy with the coat having some major issues with the pockets and some holes in the chest along with one in the sleeve. But for the price, I couldn't pass for something that will work well for a more permanent display without the worries of damage to a good set. I also added a set of puttees to this and I am not too sure if they are U.S.. The brown color with the pea green ties makes me think may not be U.S. or even WWI. I am far from an expert and if anyone can tell for sure, please educate me as to how you can tell the differences between them. But I get on to the part everyone likes, the photos. And as always, if you have questions, remarks or would like to show your U.S. WWI uniforms, please add them.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here are the last of the photos. I added some gear to the display to help hide the damage to the uniform. It works great if you are worried about showing the gear and uniform together and there being any damage to a good uniform. So I added a few pics of that as well, enjoy!

Mike

[mark holden]

Here is my one and only US WW1 period jacket. I bought this in Soledo Texas 11 years ago in a thrift store for the princely sum of $4. I have no idea what the unit patch is but its such a complete item I won't part with it.

regards

Mark

Patch

label Nov 21 1918

lining named inside 'C.C Daws'

[4thGordons]

Mark,

I believe the patch is the General Intermediate Supply Depot. (GISD)

(examples can be seen in post 8 of this thread on another forum)

Its a very nice coat you have there.

Chris

[mark holden]

Many thanks Chris you have solved a mystery!

[Mitter2k1]

Mark, I'll triple your money and give you $12 for it But seriously that is a great coat though and you got it for a heck of a price. I've seen that maker before on trench coats but never on a service tunic. Was it your trench coat that was made by Zeeman Fur Coats that I'm remembering Chris?

Thanks for adding it,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

Here is a link to my photobucket that has most of my collection with some better quality photos. I took the time last weekend to setup everything and took some pics of everything. I have them broke down into categories and the photos labeled with all of the information that I have on each item. The categories are broken down for uniforms, insignia, field gear, edged weapons, ammo belts and so on. I thought that I would share it here for anyone that is interested in seeing some of my items. If anyone has any comments or questions, feel free to ask.

http://s1072.photobucket.com/user/Mitter2k1/library/

Thanks for looking,

Mike M.

[Mitter2k1]

Here is the latest addition to the uniform collection. This is a M1917 Wool Overcoat made by Henry Sonneborn & Co., Inc. and dated Sept. 6, 1917 This is the shorter model that was made after April 1917. Those made prior to April 1917 are longer and usually fall at or below the knees. It does not have a button for the skirt so it is not a Cavalry model. While this one has the cuff straps, these proved to suit no purpose and were later deleted from future models. But enough on the history and I will get on with the pics.

If anyone has any questions or comments, they are always welcomed.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mitter2k1]

More

[Mitter2k1]

The last of the photos

[Mitter2k1]

Here is something that I have been in search of since I first saw the pair Chris picked up a while back. These are hybrid canvas/leather leggings copied from the M1910 style of canvas legging. The photos are from the ebay listing and I will add some better ones when I get them. But as of late, these private purchase hybrid leggings have been popping up on various sites and modeled after the different styles of the period. I will post more info on these as I find it and hopefully I can do a little write up on the origins of them.

Thanks,

Mike

[gSpartan150]

I've got a decent-looking M1917 Summer tunic (its got some wear and moth-holes) and a pair of not-so-good-looking pants. From what I've seen on here, most of the uniforms have insignia and ribbons and such, but my M1917 Summer tunic came with no insignia.

~Garrett

[Mitter2k1]

It is common that they come without any insignia. I only possess one uniform with any sort of patch, and it is a corporal chevron. When the US started sending troops home, they wore the M1912 cotton summer coat as they were only issued wool for use in theater. But a lot of soldiers never even bothered adding any patches or ribbons and medals. As for awards, there were not a lot of ribbons to be worn for that matter, not like the soldiers from WWII had been awarded. The lack of collar insignia would not surprise me as guys would wear their uniforms for work clothes and removed them after getting home. I only have 2 uniforms that came with any collar disks that appear to of been on it for the life of the tunic. The rest were added by me for display purposes. If you get a chance, you should post some pics of your uniform. I always enjoy when members add their uniforms, no matter how fancy, plain, mint or mothy.

Mike

[gSpartan150]

Thanks for the info, Mike. I'll post some pictures later.