Jump to content

A.E. F. ‘Trench’ & Overseas Caps


world war I nerd
 Share

Recommended Posts

world war I nerd

Photo No. 248: At least two members of the 110th Artillery Regimental band (29th division) are wearing non-regulation lyre cap badges or officers collar devices on their overseas caps.

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

post-5143-0-35770800-1447579297.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Regulation Uniform Buttons

Photo No. 249: It would seem that when no collar discs were available some Doughboys improvised by using a regulation bronze finish uniform button instead. Two examples of this practice are shown here. The left hand cap features a single medium sized service coat button, while the left hand cap has two large sized overcoat buttons, one on either side, along with an officer’s U.S. collar device thrown in for good measure.

Left hand photo courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

post-5143-0-87583500-1447579338.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 250: This U.S. made overseas cap has a single large sized overcoat button sewn in place where a collar disc should be.

Photos courtesy of the CW Norma collection

post-5143-0-82858000-1447579401.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Sweetheart Pins

The tradition of sending home keepsake items, for the most part began during WW I, as exchanging letters and mementos was a way for the lonely and homesick soldiers to stay connected with the folks back home.

 

One such memento was the ‘sweetheart pin’. The sweetheart pin was a special piece of patriotic jewelry which almost always reflected the branch of service in which a son, brother or sweetheart served. In most cases sweetheart jewelry was mass produced and inexpensive, but some pieces could be finely crafted and of a much higher quality.

 

The so called sweetheart pins were purchased by soldiers serving on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. They were sent home to loved ones and they were also frequently worn on the overseas cap in place of a collar disc.

 

Photo No. 251: Patriotic sweetheart pins were typically military themed and they were manufactured in innumerable designs. Most featured a dull bronze finish and many had the initials ‘U.S.’ superimposed over the design. The insets show three examples from the Artillery branch of service mounted on overseas caps, along with a Signal Corps motif. The background image is of a British contract cap bearing a Corps of Engineers sweetheart pin.

post-5143-0-39531800-1447579460.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 252: Infantry, Signal Corps and Air Service sweetheart pins are worn by these Doughboys in lieu of a collar disc on their British contract overseas caps.

Right hand photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

Center photo courtesy of the National World War I Museum

post-5143-0-39935700-1447579503.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 253: This Doughboy bearing a V Army Corps shoulder insignia and a 5th Pioneer Infantry Regiment collar disc has turned his very tall French Modele 1918 Bonnet de Police into a ‘pincushion’ as it is adorned with two infantry sweetheart pins and an unidentified enameled pin.

 

The insets show similar styles of machine gun and artillery sweetheart pins. Note that the machine gun pin bears Lewis Guns, suggesting that it may have been manufactured in Great Britain, and that its outer ring has been enameled in light blue, the color of the infantry. It’s possible that the artillery pin was made by the same firm and that it too may have once had an outer ring that was enameled in red for artillery.

 

Background photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

post-5143-0-66079900-1447579553.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Division Insignia

The wearing of cloth unit insignia on the overseas cap was certainly not authorized by the AEF. It is however, possible that the 36th, 81st Divisions, and perhaps the 80th Infantry Divisions all may have procured and distributed miniature copies of their shoulder patches to be worn on the overseas caps while the men were still in service.

The majority of the shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI) was likely added to the overseas caps by individual soldiers either shortly before or after they were discharged from military service.

 

Photo No. 254: Left: A miniature 1st Infantry Division insignia that may have been designed to wear on the overseas cap. The center photo shows the approximate size of the insignia superimposed on a British made overseas cap. The full size 1st Division shoulder patch at right is roughly twice the size of the miniature.

 

Left & right photos courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

post-5143-0-95820100-1447579613.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 255: Tailor made overseas cap bearing a miniature 28th Infantry Division SSI.

 

Right hand photo courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

post-5143-0-98498100-1447579656.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 256: Tailor made overseas cap bearing a full size 36th Infantry Division SSI and an officers Corps of Engineers collar device. Over the years I have seen about a dozen overseas caps all with identical miniature 36th Division SSI sewn onto them.

post-5143-0-88989200-1447579700.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 257: Tailor or commercially made French Bonnet de Police bearing a full size 39th Infantry Division SSI.

 

Photo courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

post-5143-0-73417800-1447579745.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 258: Two 80th Infantry Division Doughboys wearing British contract overseas caps adorned with miniature divisional SSIs.

post-5143-0-30881300-1447579785.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 259: A tailor made officers overseas cap piped in the colors of a machine gun outfit with a 1st lieutenant’s rank insignia and a full size 81st Infantry Division SSI. At least two of the men in the lower left hand photo are also wearing full sized 81st Division insignia on their overseas caps as well.

post-5143-0-75025300-1447579871.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 260: The 81st Infantry Division was another AEF division that may have had miniature divisional emblems made up and distributed to division personnel, as numerous small size examples have been found both on overseas caps and on the loose. It’s also entirely possible that the small SSIs were commercially made products that were sold at veteran reunions and or through veteran’s organizations after the war.

post-5143-0-18448500-1447579926.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 263: This Doughboy’s French contract overseas cap bears a U.S.N. A. collar disc as well as a full size 89th Infantry Division SSI.

Doughboy photo courtesy of the National World War I Museum

post-5143-0-68600200-1447580047.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 264: This officer’s tailor made overseas cap is piped in light blue for the infantry branch, and bears a 2nd lieutenants rank insignia. It has also has the emblem of the 90th Infantry Division hand embroidered onto the right hand side of the cap’s crown.

Photo courtesy of the Charles Thomas collection

post-5143-0-83358200-1447580090.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 265: This U.S. made overseas cap bears an infantry collar disc that has been embellished with the pine tree insignia of the 91st Infantry Division.

post-5143-0-05802000-1447580137.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 266: Based on these three examples, it must have been a common practice for the men of Company E (regimental number unknown) of the 91st Infantry Division to so mark their collar discs.

post-5143-0-98368800-1447580188.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 268: A member of the AEF Tank Corps whose British contract overseas cap bears a Tank Corps SSI with a miniature 3rd Army emblem in its center.

Doughboy photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

post-5143-0-76532900-1447580291.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 269: This member of a messenger pigeon section of the Signal Corps wears a SSI on his cap that I’m told by the photo’s owner depicts a pigeon in flight.

Photos courtesy of Brennan Gauthier, Portraits of war.wordpress.com

post-5143-0-18857200-1447580334.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 270: This British contract overseas cap bears a miniature 3rd Army SSI under a 2nd lieutenants rank insignia.

Photo courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

post-5143-0-27748200-1447580383.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 271: A 3rd Army enlisted man whose cap also bears a miniature 3rd Army SSI next to another shot of the officer’s cap shown above.

Left hand image courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

Right hand image courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

post-5143-0-74361200-1447580425.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

world war I nerd

Photo No. 272: Close up of the 3rd Army SSI on the above officer’s cap next to another miniature example of the 3rd Army SSI. Both miniature patches have been placed next to a full size example to show the approximate size difference.

post-5143-0-20430300-1447580474.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...