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USCG collar insignia


MastersMate
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I am not a collector. I am a retired old CG fart that is now attempting to piece together the evolution of Coast Guard uniforms since it was established in 1915. The Revenue Cutter Service has been pretty straight forth in that they pretty much mirrored the USN uniforms since around 1834.

 

The period from 1920 to 1930 is elusive since no copies of the CG uniforms regs for 1922sh have appeared. This is a transition period concerning the Lifesaving branch uniforms and cutter branch uniforms.

 

Presently looking at the WW2 Shore Establishment uniform (blue and khaki) as worn by the CG regular and reserve, the CG Temporary Reserve, and the CG Auxiliary. The khaki is a WW2 uniform. The navy blue is a slight modification of the 1930 Lifesaving Branch uniform worn by crews below CPO.

 

I have a few khaki uniforms that I am attempting to find collar insignia for. Have looked on eBay and found the usual single items, but wonder if there are other places I should be looking..

 

So far, the USCG and USCGR and the SPARs wore the standard brass CG emblem on each collar. Sewn grommits are provided on the collars. The SPARs wore those collar insignia up through 1975. That insignia is about 1 1/8" diameter. There was a slightly smaller size that was worn on the garrison cap.

 

The CG Auxiliary is pretty self explanatory and is similar to the insignia worn presently. Finding written regulations is difficult, but older photos show Auxiliarists wearing the shore establishment uniform with a patch on the lower right sleeve with USCG in an arc and AUXILIARY in a line below the arc.

 

The TEMPORARY RESERVE is the stumbling point. Their status makes piecing together their uniform insignia a bit more challenging. Photos show the CG shield on the lower right sleeve, They were assigned enlisted ratings and wore their specific rating, left or right sleeve. The collar insignia do not show much detail, and this is where I am guessing the collar and cap insignia come into play.

 

Anyway, would appreciate any suggestions as to where to start looking to locate a little better source of supply, other than eBay to find these collar insignia.

 

Thanx in advance.

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Checked one more source of information ( CG Bulletins) and believe the CG Reserve insignia is answered. A lapel size version was authorized in Sept. 1944 for wear by Reservists and Temporary Reservists when wearing civilian suits. The smaller size and less detail fits with that.

 

Will just look for USCG and USCG Aux devices..

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  • 6 years later...

The WWII Temporary CG Reserve "TR" had both enlisted and officer personnel. The officer personnel comprised of direct appointments of civilians who possessed critical skill sets and whose duties justified officer grade. Some served with pay and some did not.  A sub-group of those receiving pay were a number of CG civil service positions deemed necessary to be in uniform. The incumbents in these positions were appointed temporary officers and their salaries paid using USCG civil service pay accounts. Basically, these individuals performed the same function as they did prior to the War, except they did so in uniform. Harbor pilots were another sub-group who served full time receiving their normal pay from their respective pilotage association. Also, various shipyards allowed their security force to be placed in "civilian Coast Guard Police" uniforms, under Coast Guard control, while still receiving pay from the shipyard. In the early days of the National Emergency a small number of personnel assigned to off-shore picket duty, serving fulltime, received military pay and benefits. 

 

The primary difference between the USCG Reserve and the Temporary Reserve was that members of the former category served for the full duration of the War and were available for world-wide duty in any capacity. Another way of looking at it was these individuals were "wartime Regulars", receiving the same training, pay, benefits and serving under same conditions as the Regular force. Temporary Reservists on the other hand volunteered to serve at a specific location (within their home district), performing a specific job and for a definitive duration, either full-time or part-time, sometimes with pay, often without any renumeration.

 

Commissioned TR officers wore the same uniform and insignia as regular and regular-Reserve officers. Enlisted TR personnel generally wore the newly authorized Shore Establishment uniform. In the early days of the war, as in the case of the TR Coast Guard Police, an arm band with appropriate designation and/or a service cap was all that identified a person as member of the TR. 

 

Regarding Auxiliary insignia. Present day Auxiliary insignia was established late 1960s/early 1970s. For the Auxiliary's initial three decades of existence, insignia and office titles were made to be distinctively different than Coast Guard rank insignia, heavily influenced by the yachting community and U.S. Power Squadron.  Hope this helps?

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