USN Hammock and Mattress

[Rmasters3]

Not entirely sure what I have here. The couple I got this from said their great grandfather was in the US Army in WWI (his son, their father, was in the Navy in WWII), Grandfather was the one with the initials BHM, so this is therefore US Army. I am reluctant to unroll it as I doubt I'd be able to get it back to this condition. I have a somewhat similar WWII US Navy grouping from another local vet, and the strings on this one, the one pictured, look to be the same as the WWII group.

 

The wooden crate pictured is what it was shipped in when he returned to Ohio, post war. So far, not dates that I can find.

 

I also think I'd like to have the whole thing x-ray-ed, knowing GI's often bundled stuff in their barracks bags and bed rolls.

 

[268th C.A.]

That is a USN bed roll. Don't be afraid too roll it out. There stronger than you think. Just remember how too roll it back up. Good luck!

[Dreamer42]

WWII. I picked up a 1943 dated duffel bag with several attached tags. One of them is exactly like yours.

[P-40Warhawk]

Yeah that is a USN hammock and mattress, the Railway Express shipping tag is pretty common on baggage and freight of the WWII period. Normally the hammocks are rolled from from side to side (not top to bottom) and then lashed to a seabag (duffle bag) for transportation from station to station. Hammocks were still a widely issued item during WWII, but were phased out since newer ships had their own bunk style berths. On the old ships you'd rig your hammock, but if they wanted the space clear, there were special racks to store hammocks in when not in use. I would say your hammock was either rolled like that so it would fit into the crate (maybe with a seabag stacked on top of it), or it was rolled for storage aboard a ship and not rolled for lashing to the seabag.

 

Really neat time capsule. and the shipping crate is cool.