Post Your Span-Am to WW I Full-Length Soldier Photos

[world war I nerd]

A pair of U.S. Marines, place and date unknown. Both are wearing P12 cotton summer trousers and khaki flannel shirts. Does anybody know the correct designation of this style of USMC shirt?

 

One Marine has pinned the number "57" beneath the EGA cap badge. Presumably this signifies the 57th Company.

[world war I nerd]

A trio of veteran Doughboys, all members of Company A, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division somewhere in Germany in 1919.

 

A closer look at two of the men and their German made 2nd Division shoulder patches.

 

As seen in these two close ups, the men are wearing various combinations of "US/2" and "Infantry/23" collar discs on either their service coat collars or overseas caps, or both.

[world war I nerd]

A really cool stateside studio portrait of a member of the 53rd Infantry Regiment , 6th Division that was likely taken after his return to the United States in 1919.

 

Note the Infantry Sweetheart pin on his cap - the 53rd Infantry/Company G collar disc on his collar - the 6th Division insignia with a brass french made numeral "6" on his left shoulder - the single gold overseas service chevron on his left cuff - and the seldom seen black diagonal stripe that indicated he was attending (or attended) the AEF's officers candidate school.

 

A closer view of the unnamed soldier and his insignia.

 

And a much closer view of his shoulder insignia, OCS cuff stripe and overseas service chevron.

[US Victory Museum]

Close ups of the flower pin/insignia. Does anybody recognize it?

 

Also, is that guy holding beer or soda?

#652

 

The pin/insignia appears to be a sunflower, which was used as an insignia of the Kansas Sate Guard.

 

State guard officers wore a more detailed brass sunflower insignia in the 1903-1905 time period, but

these are similar enough to suggest that they are personal purchase items worn for adornment and

"tribal" identification to their state.

 

This is my best guess.

M.

[world war I nerd]

US Victory Museum, thanks for adding the information about the Kansas State Guard sunflower insignia being in use prior to WW I. When I posted the above images of the sunflower badges/insignia, I wondered if there was any connection the the sunflower inset that was added to the shoulder insignia as worn by the "All Kansas" members of the 353rd Infantry, Regiment, 89th Division in 1918 and 1919. It would appear that the sunflower was indeed the official/unofficial emblem used by both the State and National Guardsmen who hailed from Kansas during the first two decades of the 20th century, and possibly beyond.

 

The sunflower inset is clearly visible on the 89th Division shoulder patch worn by Sergeant Harry Adams of the 353rd Infantry Regiment.

 

Photo courtesy of the National World War I Museum

[world war I nerd]

Bert Miller, Elmer Weelock and John Lampman are presumed by me to be National Guardsmen from an unknown state. Two of whom are wearing 1903 pattern equipment suspenders to support the weight of their early rifle cartridge belts. The date of the photo likely falls somewhere between 1908 and 1912.

[world war I nerd]

Sailors from the U.S.S. Michigan pose for the camera with a "Potato Digger" Colt machine gun in Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1914.

 

Close up of the machine gun and a few of the Michigan's sailors.

[world war I nerd]

A trio of musicians from the National Guard's 2nd Iowa Infantry Regimental band, 1916. The reverse of this image is inscribed: "Otto A. Salter, Mason City, Iowa, Mexican Border Band."

 

A closer look at the 2nd Infantry, Iowa National Guard drum-head. Presumably, the lower half of the drum-head reads "Mason City."

[world war I nerd]

An unidentified soldier or National Guardsmen wearing a pre-1910 Rifle Cartridge Belt with a Springfield rifle, circa 1914 - 1917.

[world war I nerd]

Press photo of General Pershing pinning Croix de Guerre Medals onto a number of deserving Doughboys, two of whom are wearing Red Cross Brasards, during the fall of 1918.

 

Close up of some of the men and their medals.

[Salvage Sailor]

1st US Infantry Regiment Private, Schofield Barracks, T.H. circa 1914-1916

[US Victory Museum]

A pair of U.S. Marines, place and date unknown. Both are wearing P12 cotton summer trousers and khaki flannel shirts. Does anybody know the correct designation of this style of USMC shirt?

*** #654 ***

 

The feature which would identify these shirts with certainty cannot be visualized in the uncropped photos: the presence

or absence of re-enforced elbows.

 

The USMC shirt pattern of 1904 was constructed from light woolen material; it possessed a 1½" rolling collar, and long

sleeves with barrel cuffs. It had an open front (not pullover) , but with a button fly panel that extended only half way down

the shirt. There were five brown bone buttons.

 

The USMC shirt pattern of 1917 was constructed from light woolen flannel; it possessed a 3" rolling collar, and re-enforced

elbows. It was otherwise identical to the pattern of 1904 in it other characteristics.

 

It may be an optical illusion caused by the focal distance between the camera and the two pair of subjects; however, in

the image of the soldiers, one standing and the other seated, the collars appear larger relative to the size of the top

button. I am going to postulate that these are pattern of 1917 shirts. In the (top) photo, their collars appear smaller

in size relative to the top buttons, so I believe these to be pattern of 1904. Both photos are likely WWI or post-WWI era.

 

Msn

[BEAST]

*** #654 ***

 

The feature which would identify these shirts with certainty cannot be visualized in the uncropped photos: the presence

or absence of re-enforced elbows.

 

The USMC shirt pattern of 1904 was constructed from light woolen material; it possessed a 1½" rolling collar, and long

sleeves with barrel cuffs. It had an open front (not pullover) , but with a button fly panel that extended only half way down

the shirt. There were five brown bone buttons.

 

The USMC shirt pattern of 1917 was constructed from light woolen flannel; it possessed a 3" rolling collar, and re-enforced

elbows. It was otherwise identical to the pattern of 1904 in it other characteristics.

 

It may be an optical illusion caused by the focal distance between the camera and the two pair of subjects; however, in

the image of the soldiers, one standing and the other seated, the collars appear larger relative to the size of the top

button. I am going to postulate that these are pattern of 1917 shirts. In the (top) photo, their collars appear smaller

in size relative to the top buttons, so I believe these to be pattern of 1904. Both photos are likely WWI or post-WWI era.

 

Msn

 

 

MSN, Thanks for posting the information on the USMC shirts.

[world war I nerd]

Victory Museum, thanks for clearing up the USMC wool/flannel shirt mystery. I've been trying to get to the bottom of that for a long time.

 

 

U.S. sailors, possibly in Vera Cruz, Mexico, but for sure in a Central or South American country circa 1914.

 

Close up of some of the field gear worn by the sailors in the above photo. Note the Navy first aid packet hooked onto the cartridge belt and the safety pin attached to the bandoleer which was used to shorten the bandoleer's strap.

[world war I nerd]

Unnamed Medical Department corporal circa 1917-1918.

 

The corporal is wearing a non-regulation khaki or olive drab cotton shirt. I've seen this style of shirt before, but I have no idea why they show up in photos from time to time. Does anybody have any information on shirts of this type?

[world war I nerd]

At first glance there's noting unusual about this photograph, other than the fact that it includes Army and Navy Personnel, as well as children. However, a closer look reveals a couple of details that to me are unusual.

 

The articles that seemed out of place to me were the obsolete/obsolescent looped cartridge belt at upper left and what looks like a meat can carrier modified by the addition of a shoulder strap at lower right.

[world war I nerd]

I apologize for the gruesome nature of this photo, but I've been scratching my head trying to figure out what these two Doughboys were up to in a courtyard filled with desiccated human remains. Can anybody shed any light as to what's going on in this photo?

 

Close up of the two Doughboys and their, uh, new friend. Are they part of some sort of graves registration detail?

[world war I nerd]

Homeward bound AEF troops boarding the U.S.S. Michigan at Brest, France on February 17, 1919.

 

I find photographs of this type to be interesting because you often see what types of shoulder patches were worn by the returning veterans, and you occasionally get a glimpse of a painted helmet. No painted helmets in this image, but there are at least three different shoulder patches present.

 

Careful observation revealed shoulder patches for the 4th Division, 27th Division, and what I'm pretty sure is 42nd Division.

[world war I nerd]

Revisiting the subject of WW I era USMC shirts, here's an image of an eBay seller's scan showing an un-tucked USMC flannel or wool-flannel shirt. This image would have been mine, had I not been asleep at the wheel, so to speak.

 

While posting the above images to this topic, I forgot to place my bid before the auction ended. I missed by just a matter of seconds ... Oh well, this low-res scan is better than no photo showing a USMC shirt whose tails have left outside of the trousers. Did someone here on the forum win this photograph?

[sundance]

As an aside, I had a person offering me a 1911 holster like the one in the above pic. He referred to it as, I think, a dismounted holster made for cavalrymen. Anyone here familiar with them? Are they rare?

[Salvage Sailor]

As an aside, I had a person offering me a 1911 holster like the one in the above pic. He referred to it as, I think, a dismounted holster made for cavalrymen. Anyone here familiar with them? Are they rare?

 

Here's a forum topic on these holsters

 

Model of 1912 Dismounted Holster

[sundance]

Thank you Salvage Sailor. That's an interesting thread.

[I Hate Moths]

28th Infantry Division

Medical Detachment 107th F. A.

Le Mans France April 10th 1919

 

 

[world war I nerd]

Great addition I Hate Moths. I've always liked those mini-yardlongs.

 

WW I era U.S. Navy Sailor. The cap tally looks like it might be "USS Alabama"

 

 

 

A better look at the sailor. The disc hanging from his chest pocket is the cardboard label attached to the drawstring of a sack of Bull Durham tobacco.

 

When the first contingent of sailors and soldiers arrived in France in 1917, so many of the men had Bull Durham strings hanging out of their breast pockets, the French thought the cardboard disc was an insignia or a medal for bravery!

[world war I nerd]

The camp bugler "Blowing first call", circa 1917-1918.

 

Written on the reverse of the photos is: "Blowing first call for the soldiers to get out of bed at 6 o'clock in winter mornings and 4:45 in the summer. From John."