USMC 1958 pattern Gomer Pyle utility shirt

[Bob Hudson]

This one has been touched on in some other threads, but I thought it was time the US Marine Corp's Gomer Pyle shirt got its own thread.

 

Basically this is an olive drab cotton sateen shirt introduced in 1958. It had covered buttons, a gas flap, and a large inside map pocket with a vertical opening. There was a similar shirt in HBT before this, sometimes called the M1956 shirt.

 

The shirt - which I have seen called a P1958, M1958, M58, and plain " Marine Corps Utility Shirt" - gets its nickname because it was worn on the Gomer Pyle USMC TV program which first aired from 1964 to 1967, starring Jim Nabors in a spinoff from the Andy Griffith Show.

 

 

Here's a couple of the real thing:

 

 

Here's the shirt unbuttoned. That single button on the right is for the inside pocket:

 

 

Here's a label, this one stamped 19 DECEMBER 1958. This is stamped inside, behind the left breast pocket. The size is stamped in the collar. I've seen seven or eight of these shirts in the last two years and maybe one of them had labels you could read.

 

 

In about 1964 the Marines started using the same kind of OD cotton sateen uniform as the Army but the Gomer Pyle shirts continued to be worn by Marines who had them. I have a couple that appear to have been used up until the Marine retired in the early 70's.

 

There are also Gomer Pyle trousers, which have no flaps on the back pockets.

[cbuehler]

Thanks for posting this! These are actually real nice shirts and very comfortable to wear. I just obtained one recently. The design is excellent and the large interior map pocket is very useful. They are not very easy to find either.

They were obviously more expensive than the later universal design shirt without the features of these 58 patterns. I would imagine that this was the primary reason for discontinuing them.

 

CB

[MAS36]

I always liked those early "Gomer Pyle" type shirts, they look really well made and designed

 

they are hard to find

[Bob Hudson]

I always liked those early "Gomer Pyle" type shirts, they look really well made and designed

 

they are hard to find

 

I don't imagine they made too many of them: during the late 50's and early 60's the Corps was probably not doing much recruiting and by time the Marines went to Vietnam in force they were using the simpler Army style utilities. I'm not sure what the production end date was for these; they started in 1958 (at least late 58). Stuff made during wars is usually the most sought after by collectors, but it seems like the stuff made just before wars is the rarest. I picked up three of these shirts recently, all from the same Marine, who I know was a Gunnery Sgt in 1968 and one of the shirts still had GySgt insignia on one collar. The one in the top photo above (also the one in the label and flap photos) must have been his "inspection" shirt: it has been laundered and starched but is in mint condition and doesn't even have a name stamp on it.

[MAS36]

I have a book called VIETNAM: US UNIFORMS in COLOR by Kevin Lyles

 

on page 16 they show a US MARINE officer circa 1965 wearing the same uniform

 

The Marines M1958 Cotton-Sateen Utility Uniform was unique to the Corps, and was obsolete by 1965, having been replaced by the Army's OG 107 utility uniform, some career officers and senior NCO's within the Corps, however, continued to wear the older uniform, though it would disappear entirely by the end of that year.

 

a 1956 version of this uniform was made in herringbone twill [HBT] material, and though occaisonally seen, was even rarer than the sateen set.

[Greg Robinson]

I first saw those shirts at Parris Island in 1967. They were still commonly worn at that time but we "boots" got issued the new style generic utility uniform that had been mandated by then Sec of Def Robert McNamara. While I was at Camp Pendleton in Jan 1968 I picked up a couple used "gomer pyle" shirts and wore them while on duty. I got a few ill comments from "old Corps" Marines who didn't feel I was entitled to wear those. However, they were still regulation utility uniform wear in 1968....it was just the herringbone twills which had been outlawed. This being said, I did see some WW2 and Korean War Marines wearing HBT's back then and nobody told them they couldn't.

 

Greg

[craig_pickrall]

There are a couple of bad dates referenced here so I will try to post a correct time line. I am using as reference:

 

MARINE CORPS MUSEUM CATALOGING AND IDENTIFICATION GUIDE FOR 20TH CENTURY UNIFORMS

 

The time line they show for these and the follow on uniforms are:

 

P1953 - The Gomer Pyle was first introduced in 1953 in HBT material with the 1953 version of the EGA (one riband). Thiis EGA is the solid design. I'm not sure of an exact intro date for the open face EGA but I estimate 1956.

P1957 - In 1957 it was revised to sateen cloth.

P1964 - The so called universal pattern based on the Army design came into the system.

P1971 - The design reverts back to the P1957 design but with an open button front, pocket flaps and it does not have the inner map pocket.

 

According to the museum there must have been people in the USMC in some slot that authorized OD utilities until 1980 because any combination of these uniforms were authorized from the introduction date until 1980. It does not say what the cutoff date was for the manufacture of any particular pattern.

[Greg Robinson]

I own a cotton sateen utility cap with what Craig calls an open face EGA. Contract date is 20 June 1956 so there seems to be some overlap on these dates.

 

Greg

[craig_pickrall]

It is probable that once the decision was made to change from HBT to sateen that they awaited the next contract to place an order with the new material rather than just placing a blanket order for everything when the decision was made to change material. Covers could have been ordered before uniforms. I suspect shirts and trousers were ordered at the same time though.

[Greg Robinson]

It is probable that once the decision was made to change from HBT to sateen that they awaited the next contract to place an order with the new material rather than just placing a blanket order for everything when the decision was made to change material. Covers could have been ordered before uniforms. I suspect shirts and trousers were ordered at the same time though.

 

And maybe that 30 June 1956 contract was originally awarded for the manufacture of HBT covers and they amended it to cotton sateen. And just because it has a 1956 contract date doesn't mean they were available that early. I'm inclined to say that the Marines didn't have those cotton sateen utilities until very late 1950's.

[Bob Hudson]

It is probable that once the decision was made to change from HBT to sateen that they awaited the next contract to place an order with the new material rather than just placing a blanket order for everything when the decision was made to change material. Covers could have been ordered before uniforms. I suspect shirts and trousers were ordered at the same time though.

 

When I picked up the above shirt I also got an HBT cover Sgt Pratt never wore (it still had cutter's tags): it has the open face EGA and I'd thought this was a 1956 pattern HBT cap.

[Greg Robinson]

When I picked up the above shirt I also got an HBT cover Sgt Pratt never wore (it still had cutter's tags): it has the open face EGA and I'd thought this was a 1956 pattern HBT cap.

 

 

That last pattern HBT utility cover was marked with size only....and then came with cutter tags.

 

Conventional wisdom has these labeled "1956" vintage covers. I think that's probably close to correct with my 1956 dated cotton sateen cover being the exception to the rule. I got one of the very last ones of those still in the supply system at Parris Island in 1967. So when the heck did they quit issueing them if one was still around that late? Granted, at size 7 3/4 I have a large head so that cover might have been at the bottom of the bin for awhile. But this was during the height of Viet Nam and thousands of recruits were passing thru Parris Island and I'm not the only guy around with a large head.

 

Greg

[Bob Hudson]

That last pattern HBT utility cover was marked with size only....and then came with cutter tags.

 

Conventional wisdom has these labeled "1956" vintage covers. I think that's probably close to correct with my 1956 dated cotton sateen cover being the exception to the rule. I got one of the very last ones of those still in the supply system at Parris Island in 1967. So when the heck did they quit issueing them if one was still around that late? Granted, at size 7 3/4 I have a large head so that cover might have been at the bottom of the bin for awhile. But this was during the height of Viet Nam and thousands of recruits were passing thru Parris Island and I'm not the only guy around with a large head.

 

Greg

 

 

I am glad we've expanded this because 50's militaria from all services gets little attention. I realized I had acccumlated quite a bit of the Marines 50's stuff in the last month or so and after starting this thread decided to put it together to get an idea of what was being worn just before the Vietnam War. This is a Gomer Pyle shirt (the collar insignia are original to the shirt), OD utility cover with stamped size, 1961 pattern USMC belt with 1961 M-14 ammo pouches, 1952 pattern Collette USMC marked canteen cover and for good measure a 1994 jungle first aid kit. I would imagine that the first Marines in Vietnam would have worn a rig something like this??????

 

[craig_pickrall]

This is the set of covers to go with the uniforms.

 

P1953 - HBT & SOLID EGA

 

 

P1953 - HBT & OPEN FACE EGA

 

 

P1957 - SATEEN & OPEN FACE EGA

 

[Greg Robinson]

I have one of the 1944 pattern HBT covers (solid EGA and no line of stitching at the top front) and it's dated 1952. And then I have the one Craig lists first (solid EGA with line of stitching) and it's also dated 1952. Lots of changes over a short period of time.

[craig_pickrall]

I went through my GP shirts this morning to see just what I really have.

 

I have 6 of the P53 HBT pattern with the following:

2 have the solid EGA but with 2 riband rather than the one per spec (see pic attached).

1 has an open face EGA with 1 riband but it is to faint to show up in a photo.

3 have no EGA or they are faded beyond being able to see them.

 

I have 5 of the P57 and they all have the open face EGA with 1 riband (see pic attached).

 

P1953

 

 

P1957

This is a QM sample sent to manufacturers when requesting a contract bid. It is hand dated 1960. The only marking inside the shirt is the size stamp at the neck.

 

[Bob Hudson]

I have 5 of the P57 and they all have the open face EGA with 1 riband (see pic attached).

 

So is the OD Gomer shirt - the one sometimes referred to a 1958 pattern actually a 1957 pattern?

[craig_pickrall]

According to the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico, VA it is a P1957 if made of sateen material.

[guillaume le ouf]

hello,

 

a rare variant to 1958 pattern: the ROK pattern... used by ROK in vietnam...

 

bye!

 

[Bob Hudson]

hello,

 

a rare variant to 1958 pattern: the ROK pattern... used by ROK in vietnam...

 

bye!

 

 

 

My son's Tae Kwan Do instructor was an ROK Marine in Vietnam - I'll have to show him that one.

[guillaume le ouf]

My son's Tae Kwan Do instructor was an ROK Marine in Vietnam - I'll have to show him that one.

 

 

thx for pics!

 

I have this other:

 

 

a local made jungle 3rd pattern

 

all patch custom tailor made

 

bye

[Greg Robinson]

Some of y'all may remember this shirt originally posted by forum support. Looks like something made up for wear in SE Asia since I don't believe this was ever authorized for Stateside wear. Notice the pocket (for cigarettes I assume) on the left sleeve. Contract dated 1958.

[collector]

quote"There was a similar shirt in HBT before this, sometimes called the M1956 shirt."endquote

 

So a shirt I own that looks like these except is HBT is M1956, or were there other variations of the HBT version in this style?

[Greg Robinson]

quote"There was a similar shirt in HBT before this, sometimes called the M1956 shirt."endquote

 

So a shirt I own that looks like these except is HBT is M1956, or were there other variations of the HBT version in this style?

 

 

There were two utility jackets in the "gomer pyle" pattern. First one was hbt followed by one in cotton sateen which was first made in 1958. Not sure of the date of the hbt gomer pyle jacket but 1956 sound about right...so a short lived item.

[craig_pickrall]

The HBT pattern shirt is an M1953. Look here at post # 9.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=10434