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A.E.F. Identification, Part one


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Forum members,

 

This is the first of a multi part topic on A.E.F. Identification. Part two will cover Identity Bracelets; Enlisted Men’s pay Booklets and other forms of official and non official enlisted men’s ID. Part three will cover Officer’s Identity Booklets, Officer’s Record Booklets and Pilot Identity Cards etc. If any forum member has any of these items and wishes to contribute photos or information, please contact me via a private message.

This posting was inspired by the much longer thread devoted to U.S. dog tags from all branches and eras, located elsewhere on the forum, if you want to have a look at it just search “dog tags” and it will pop up. Being a true World War I nerd, I became interested in the variety of tags shown in that posting and decided that the WW I era Identity Tags needed to be explained in more detail and that they deserved a section of their own. In researching and compiling the photos for this subject I borrowed liberally from other forum members and have tried to give credit to those whose photos I have used. Some of which I saved for reference purposes before I ever envisioned this topic. I apologize to any forum member whose photos were used and not properly credited. I would also like to thank the following forum members who went out of their way to provide research and a number of the photos that were used to illustrate this posting; Teufelhunde, Mars & Thunder, Dragoon, Bobgee and New Romantic; however any and all errors would be my fault.

 

All forum members are heartily encourage to add additional photos of their WW I dog tags that match of differ from those shown below, especially those of the U. S. Navy and U.S.M.C. (which I’m afraid I did not do justice to) or any other branch of service that show unusual or interesting markings. I also look forward to hearing from members who can add additional information or correct any errors that I may have included in the text of this post.

 

Thanks to all who contribute, WW I nerd.

 

 

Please add to this post by putting up any pre WW I and WW I Army, Navy, Marine Corps Red Cross or Y.M.C.A. dog tags as well as any period photos of the men and women wearing them!

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A.E.F. Identification

Part One

U.S. Army, Navy & Marine Corps

Identity Tags

From

1906 to 1918

 

Identity tags, better known as “dog tags” are much more than just another piece of the soldier’s uniform. Since their inception in 1906 the ubiquitous metal tag has become synonymous with the American service man and for over a hundred years “Swabbies”, “Blue Jackets”, “Aviators”, “Flyboys”, “Doughboys”, “Yanks”, “Dog Faces”, “G.Is”, “Leathernecks”, “Jar heads” and “Grunts” have all worn them, suspended from a linen tape, leather thong, shoe string, cotton cord, or metal chain around their neck. Although the appearance of the Identity Tags has changed over the years their purpose has remained exactly the same; to identify the dead and wounded heroes who have fallen all over the world from Saipan to Sadr City; Monte Cassino to Mogadishu; Cantingy to Kasserine Pass; Inchon to the Ia Drang Valley; the Hurtgen Forest to Hue City and from Beirut to Baghdad and beyond.

 

Countless American soldiers have died defending our freedom and our way of life. They are buried in military cemetery’s here in the United States and where they fell in battle, in foreign countries across the globe and far too many of their graves are marked by the single word “Unknown”. This was because their was no way for the body to be properly identified.

 

During the Civil War American soldiers first began to use a variety of methods to insure that their identity would be known if they were killed in combat. It was noted that some men, prior to battle pinned pieces of paper on their uniforms that had their name and unit written on it and others carefully marked all of their personal belongings, while some carved wooden tags and wore them on a cord around their neck. This was all done in an attempt to not be listed among the “unknowns”, or unidentified casualties. It did not take long for private vendors to offer what became known as “Soldiers Pins” that were sold to, and worn by both “Johnny Reb” and “Billy Yank”. Despite their every effort, to this day over forty percent of the American Civil War dead remain unidentified.

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Photo no. 01: This pre World War I dog tag belonged to a soldier in the 13th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was given to one of the men as he boarded a troopship bound for the Philippine Islands. The number stamped onto the face of the tag corresponded with the name of the trooper on a master list kept by Regimental HQ and the Red Cross. (Courtesy of forum member mars & thunder)

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Photo no. 02: Before a regulation dog tag was adopted by the army, America’s soldiers were lucky if they were presented with a donated ID Tag as they boarded a troop ship to fight in far off lands. Here Marine, Leathernecks are shipping out to protect America’s interests in the early 1900’s.

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Later charitable and relief organizations did what they could to help solve the problem of identifying the dead American soldiers by making and donating unofficial ID Tags to the service men leaving to fight in such places as Cuba, China and the Philippine Islands to insure that U.S. casualties would be properly identified and that their next of kin could be notified. In addition civic groups and commanding officers purchased commercially made ID Tags for the local men of their Volunteer Regiments and State Militia Units before they marched off to war.

 

Photo no. 03: This keystone shaped tag hails from the Spanish American War and belonged to a member of the 14th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. This type of ID Tag is indicative of those made locally for State Militia Units. (Courtesy of forum member mars & thunder)

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[i

]“So simple a method…”

[/i]

The 1906 Identity Tag

 

It was not until 1899 that the U.S. Army first began to consider that an official identity tag should be issued to the troops in the field. A captain in the Quartermaster Corps, Captain Charles C. Pierce, whose duty was to establish the Quartermaster Office of Identification in the Philippines, recommended that the inclusion of an “Identity Disc” in the soldiers issued combat field kit would aide with the identification of the dead.

 

The wheels of change turned slowly in the American Army of the early twentieth century and it was not until December 20, 1906 that a single aluminum identity (ID) tag was prescribed for wear by the Department of the Army. The following year, in the annual Quartermaster General’s report the Army’s new ID Tag was described,

 

“By General Orders, No. 204, War Department, 1906, this Department is charged with the duty of providing for sale to officers and gratuitous issue to enlisted men aluminum identification tags, the size of a silver half-dollar, of suitable thickness, to be suspended from the neck underneath the clothing by means of tape. Seventy-five thousand of these tags have been procured from the Ordnance Department at a cost of $750, and request for purchase of 50,000 additional have been made upon the chief of Ordnance. Each tag is to be stamped with the name, rank, company, regiment or corps, of the wearer, and steel dies for stamping the tags are furnished by the Ordnance Department to each organization commander.”

 

The brand new 1906 Identity Tag was a round aluminum disc, thirty one millimeters in diameter, it had a single hole near one edge to accommodate the one yard long, khaki linen neck tape that was issued with each tag to suspend it from the neck. The ID Tags were authorized for both officers and enlisted men and were issued free of charge to the enlisted men and at the cost price of one cent per set to the officers. Each tag was inscribed with the soldiers name, his rank and his unit designation. The ID tags were quickly christened “Dog tags” by the soldiers, based on the metal license tag that was attached to a leather collar worn around a dog’s neck. This excerpt from the 1907 journal of the “Association of Military Surgeon Generals of the United States” gave a hearty endorsement to the Army’s new method for identifying its killed and wounded,

 

“The identification tags recently adopted for the United States Army have been made and are ready for issue. They consist of an aluminum disk the exact shape and dimensions of a silver half dollar perforated with a small aperture near the periphery through which a piece of linen tape is to be passed and worn as shown in the accompanying illustration. The name, rank, regiment or corps, etc. are to be stamped upon these disks which will render the long rows of unknown dead such as are seen at Gettysburg, Antietam and other battlefields practically impossible in another war, should one occur.”

 

Photo no. 04: This photograph from the November 1907 issue of “Popular Mechanics” magazine shows the Army’s new 1906 ID Tag and the correct manner in which it was to be marked. It is interesting that the brief description of the tag went on to say,

 

“It is strange that so simple a method of identifying killed and wounded soldiers should not have been adopted before this date.” (Courtesy of forum member new romantic)

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Photo no. 05: This 1906 ID Tag is stamped correctly per the 1906 regulations and matches that of the publicity photo shown above. (From the Bob Gill collection, courtesy of forum member bobgee)

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When issued the ID Tag made up part of each soldiers “Field Service Equipment” and as such they were worn only when the soldier was on active or simulated field service. And at all other times it was to be in his permanent possession but did not have to be worn. At that time the duty of the soldier was divided into three basic categories; “Garrison Service”, “Camp Service” and “Field Service”. In Army speak, Field Service implied service on campaign, simulated campaign, or on the march, Camp Service included service in mobilization, concentration, instruction and maneuver camps and such pauses in operations against an enemy that permitted better care of the troops, while Garrison Service applied to all troops when they were quartered in cantonments, forts or posts under conditions which permitted the normal conveniences of a civilian community.

 

 

 

The 1910 Identity Tag

 

Photo no. 06: These soldiers lounging in their squad tent all appear to be wearing 1911 Service Breeches and 1916 Flannel Shirts. The man seated on the bunk is wearing a single 1910 style dog tag on the outside of his shirt.

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The Army ID Tag remained unchanged until 1910 when it was decided that a larger disc was needed and the diameter of the tag was increased from thirty one to thirty five millimeters in diameter. The new, large size tag was designated the 1910 Identity Tag and contained the same information as the older, small sized ID Tag.

 

At some point between 1910 and 1916 each soldier’s service number which was also known as a roster number because it appeared next to his name on the company’s roster sheet was added to each ID Tag. This became the individual soldier’s official identifying number. The smaller 1906 size tags continued to be issued and were worn until all existing supplies were used up and presumably for some time after 1910 a mixture of both size dog tags would have been seen among the ranks of any company, battery or troop.

 

Photo no. 07: Although this tag belonged to a WW I National Guardsman it is stamped per the 1910 regulations and bears the soldier’s name, his company roster number of 160 and his Branch, Corps or Department designation, in this case Company D, 161st Infantry Regiment, 41st Division. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 08: Three of the men in this squad detailed for KP duty wear the 1904 Fatigue Trousers or Fatigue Coat in brown or olive drab denim material. The cook’s assistant is wearing white cotton duck trousers and the soldier on the left hand side, has the larger size 1910 style ID Tag hung around his neck.

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Photo no. 09: Close up of the 1910 ID Tag shown in the above photograph.

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“Two identification tags will be worn…”

The 1910/16 Identity Tags

 

Photo no. 10: These two infantry men wait patiently for their commanding officer to conduct a foot and equipment inspection. Both men have placed their 1910/16 dog tags outside of their clothing for better visibility during the inspection. The men were issued one set of ID Tags free of charge; however, if the tags were lost due to the negligence of the soldier, he would be charged two cents for their replacement.

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A single ID Tag was worn by all soldiers until July 6, 1916, when the War Department directed that two ID Tags would be worn instead of one. In part the directive stated,

 

“When equipped for field duty two identification tags will be worn under the shirt, one tag to be suspended from a cord or thong around the neck, the second tag to be suspended from the first one by a short piece of string or tape.”

Photo no. 11: Here another group of soldiers assigned to KP duty circa 1917, pose for an unknown photographer and are wearing a wide variety of military clothing including three vastly different undershirts and a pair of blue denim overalls. The soldier in back, wearing the cook’s hat has a pair of ID Tags hung around his neck that appear to be comprised of two smaller size 1906 tags.

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Due to the Army’s continually shrinking budget the size of the first or “primary” disc (the one suspended from the linen neck tape) was reduced. The disc was again made thirty one millimeters in diameter and was now punched with two holes, on opposite sides, one for the neck tape and the other to hang the secondary tag which remained at thirty five millimeters in diameter. During the months immediately following the 1916 change, an officer inspecting his men’s equipment could expect to find the ID Tags that they wore composed of a mixture of the following combinations:

 

A. Two 1906 thirty one millimeter discs, each with one hole.

B. Two 1916 thirty one millimeter discs each with two holes.

C. Two 1910/16 thirty five millimeter discs, each with a single hole

D. One large 1910/16 disc and one 1906 small disc each with one hole.

E. One large 1910/16 disc with one hole and one 1916 small disc with two holes.

 

This was because there was no need to replace an older tag as long as the information it contained was still correct. Therefore, the size of the tag(s) issued depended on which size or model tag happened to be on hand at the time a soldier needed to update or replace a lost or out of date set of tags. The supplementary disc contained the same information as the primary disc and was fabricated with only one hole. The 1916 regulations amended when the dog tags were to be worn. It specified that the ID Tags were to be in permanent possession of the owner at all times, in other words, they now had to be worn twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for all occasions which included field, camp and garrison duty.

 

 

Photo no. 12: These photos illustrate the possible combinations of Army ID Tags that were worn between 1916 and 1918. The four main pairings that were possible were made up of the 1910/16 primary and secondary tags as well as the 1917 temporary square tag that was pressed into service. From top to bottom:

 

A. Two large sized 1910/16 secondary ID Tags stamped to 1st Lieutenant, Samuel Johnson, Air Service.

 

B. This pair of tags is stamped correctly, per the June 1918 specifications for all A.E.F. troops and is comprised of one smaller sized 1916 primary tag, with two holes, combined with one large sized 1910/16 secondary tag suspended from it. Both tags are correctly marked with only the Doughboy’s name, serial number and the initials “U.S.A.” without any additions or embellishments.

 

C. This set of dog tags belonged to 2nd Lieutenant Clarence R. Wilsey and is made up of two small sized 1916 primary tags, both without any additional embellishments. The smaller size of the secondary tags often resulted in the stamped information being crowded together.

 

D. The last set consists of one 1917 square, makeshift tag attached to a round 1916 primary tag. Both tags bear the man’s name, unit designation, initials “U.S.A.” and serial number. (Courtesy Bay State Militaria)

 

Photo no. 12

 

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Photo no. 13: This reconstruction represents a private first class in the 102nd Field Artillery, 26th Division, during the second battle for the Marne in June 1918. At this early stage of the war the men of the “Yankee” Division would be wearing a pair of 1916 style dog tags stamped with both a roster and a serial number, or a single 1910/16 round ID Tag paired with a 1917 square, makeshift tag.

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The 1917 Square Identity Tag

 

 

The 1910/16 Identity Tags were the dog tags worn by the millions of men and boys who went to fight in France as part of the A.E.F. When America declared war hundreds of thousands of young men flooded into the Army and were sent to training camps all across the nation. This massive influx of patriotic recruits, Federalized National Guardsmen and later, drafted conscripts overwhelmed the Army’s supply system and created a shortage of almost every article of equipment that had to be issued to the thousands of training soldiers. This shortage included the round aluminum ID Tags, whose current demand far exceeded the existing supply. In order to fill the gap overseas, General Order No. 21, GHQ, A.E.F., dated August 3, 1917 authorized the use of a makeshift square aluminum ID tag. The square, temporary tag was approximately thirty five by thirty five millimeters and had one hole. The stop-gap tags were simpler and faster to fabricate and were meant to take the place of the larger round secondary tag which was in short supply and as such, it was always hung from a round 1916, primary dog tag with two holes. As a result, many early members of the A.E.F. possessed a mismatched set of ID Tags comprised of a single round disc and an improvised, square tag.

 

 

Photo no. 14: In mid 1917 it was necessary to use a temporary square ID Tag combined with a 1916 style round tag because there were not enough of the regulation discs available to supply all of the volunteers and draftees rapidly swelling the ranks of the U.S. Army. The makeshift tags were used only by members of the A.E.F. until the military suppliers were able to catch up with their demand for regulation dog tags. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 15: A 1917 square, makeshift dog tag is worn by this soldier from the 1st Division in conjunction with his regulation 1916 round tag.

 

 

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“Our army serial numbers…”

 

Changes, March 1918

 

On February 15, 1918 to better keep track of the large numbers of men that were flooding into the Army, it was determined that each member of the military would be assigned a serial number, which would replace the company roster number that had worked efficiently to identify the men in the much smaller peace time Army. Now that the Army ranks had swelled into the millions the two or three digit roster number stamped onto the front of each mans ID Tag was deemed to no longer be efficient. The new serial or service number replaced the old roster number and no two men would ever be assigned the same number again, thus alleviating some of the confusion caused by the smaller roster numbers. The service numbers began with the number one and ran sequentially, and by February of 1919 they had nearly reached the six million mark. At the time that the Army adopted the military serial numbers most of the Doughboys currently serving still wore a set of ID Tags marked with the now obsolete roster number. When the new serial numbers began to be issued, they were simply stamped under the existing two or three digit roster number or onto the reverse of the existing dog tag which for the most part were still blank.

 

Photo no. 16: This soldier stationed along the border in 1916 wears an early M1912 Pistol Belt without the eagle snap found on later models that was used to secure the pistol magazine pouch. His first aid pouch has been marked on the front flap with his three digit company roster number in black. The numeral “102”, stenciled onto the flap of his first aid pouch matched the number stamped on his dog tags, which in turn matched the number that appeared next to his name on the company’s roster sheet. The number was used to identify him as soldier number 102 in the company and it was used to identify his equipment during inspections and also prevented it from being mistakenly taken or used by another soldier.

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Photo no. 17: This early 1910/16 style dog tag was still stamped with the roster number of “94” and has been updated, rather than replaced by stamping the new Army serial number on the blank, reverse. Note the very low serial number; it appears that almost all of the early tags that had a roster number and the 1917 improvised square tags all featured a serial number of less than 500,000. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo No. 18: In the United States the roster number that was stamped onto the ID Tag also appeared next to the soldier’s name on the company role sheet. When he was overseas as a member of the A.E.F., it was written on the first page of the “Pay Record Booklet” which was issued to him in France. When the new serial number was issued in March of 1918 it replaced the roster number on all A.E.F. paperwork as well as on the dog tags. The ID Tag shown below has a four digit roster number which indicates that he was soldier number 7,383 in a larger unit that was not organized into individual companies and also appears as his service number on the first page of his pay booklet. (Courtesy Bay State Militaria)

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For a short time after March 1918 the issued ID Tags were still being marked with both a roster and serial number. This was noted by a volunteer soldier training for the Medical Department in the spring of 1918, at Camp Greenleaf in Georgia, who went on to serve in France with Evacuation Hospital No. 8. He left this description of the Army ID tags that contained both the company roster number and the new army serial number,

 

“We were given our first set of personal identification tags (dog tags). Something was wrong with them, and they were later replaced. There were 2 of them, plain aluminum discs, stamped on one side with our names and our numbers on the company roster, on the other with our army serial numbers. Our numbers were in the range 753,700 to 753,900 indicating that we were well within the second half million of enlistments.”

 

Another soldier, a drafted recruit training for the 77th Division, in a letter home, briefly described some of the military gear he was issued while training, which included his new set of military dog tags,

 

“We have every thing even tents and identification tags we are to wear always. They are metal and bear our name and number.”

 

The issued ID Tags were primarily used to identify the dead and wounded in battle but they were also useful for other more ordinary identification purposes. A Doughboy who made up part of a replacement or “Depot” Division, waiting to ship out from the docks at Hoboken, New Jersey and would eventually wind up in the “Big Red One’s” 28th Infantry Regiment, filed this report in his diary as the time came to board the transport ship that would carry him to France,

 

“There were two gangplanks up which single file the khaki colored lines were slowly moving. At the bottom of each plank, a desk had been set up, and at this desk were officers with lists of the men in each company. Captain Hoopes in our case or the captain of each company, stood nearby to identify his men as they slowly passed by. Each man had to pull out his ‘dog-tags’ to show that he was what he represented himself to be. This tag was made of aluminum, and on it was stamped with the man’s name, rank, army serial number and organization to which he belonged. It took a long time to work your way along foot by foot, first you would get out from under the shed and it was a thrill to look up at the big ship you were to cross the Atlantic in, then step by step you went across the pier. As each man was passed you went a little closer. Finally it was your turn, all atwitter you gave your name and wondered if by any chance it had been left off the list. When it was found and your ‘dog-tag’ looked at to the satisfaction of the embarkation officer, you heaved a sigh, whether of sadness or satisfaction, and you stepped up the gang plank, bound for WHAT?”

 

Photo no. 19: A large portion of the American service men headed overseas in the summer of 1918 wore a pair of 1910/16 style dog tags marked per the March 1918 regulations, much like the secondary tag shown below that bears the man’s name, his Branch, Corps or Department designation and the new serial number which usually appeared on the back of each tag. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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“Carving alterations with my pocket knife…”

Keeping the ID Tags Up To Date

 

Once the men were in possession of their two ID Tags, each individual soldier was responsible for keeping his personal pair of dog tags up to date. They had to alter, re-stamp or replace each tag whenever they were promoted, transferred or otherwise permanently reassigned to another organization. To aid the men with keeping their personal dog tags up to date, each company was issued one M1910 ID Tag Stamping Kit. The dog tag stamping kit contained steel dies bearing numbers, letters and punctuation marks, a small hammer, an anvil, blank aluminum discs instructions, a jig to hold the aluminum tag, a special steel template, that was used to properly format the required information as well as a sample disc to use as a guide to correctly mark the tags. All this equipment was packed into a compact, olive drab painted, wooden case. One Doughboy who started his army career as a buck private in the 77th Division and rose through the ranks from private, to corporal and then to sergeant, eventually earning a commission and was promoted to the rank of 2nd lieutenant, after which he was reassigned to the 2nd Division’s, 23rd Infantry regiment. The newly minted junior lieutenant left a detailed list of what he wore and carried in combat during the assault on the St. Mihiel salient in September 1918. In it he recorded how he had altered his original pair of ID Tags along the way,

 

“Should I take my overcoat? No! Positively not! I simply could not be impeded by a coat that was sure to get heavy, sure to be hampering, and likely to catch on the barb wire. I wrote my name in indelible pencil inside the coat, wrapped my blanket in it and tied the bundle. My mussette bag, one of the popular French satchels of canvas and leather with two fastening straps and a broad webbed shoulder strap, I set aside. It contained my field glasses, my shaving kit, some handkerchiefs, some letters from home, my Sam Browne belt and my leather puttees.

 

What I did keep was easy to carry. I had a privately made silver identification tag on my left wrist along with my wristwatch; about my neck, on the very piece of tape on which they hung when I left Camp Upton, were my two issue identification tags of aluminum. By carving them with my pocket knife I had kept them up to date. One side read 2448602-2nd Lt. the other, Louis F Ranlett Pvt.– Co.B– Corp. Sgt. 308 Inf.

 

[Note each letter highlighted in red brown should have a forward slash (/) through it indicating that it had been scratched off of the tag, nerd]

 

I wore a money belt that contained my letter of credit, heavy woolen underwear, hand knitted woolen socks, an issue woolen shirt, the heavy woolen sleeveless sweater that my mother had knitted, my old enlisted mans uniform, wrap leggings, field boots. Except for my gold shoulder bars there was no distinguishing my uniform from that of a private. On my left shoulder was sewn the blue diamond shaped piece of cloth that distinguished every member of the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, I Company.

 

[if anyone is interested in the early insignia worn by the 2nd Division (before the Indian Head) please post a request and I will post it, nerd]

 

Many soldiers of the Civil War were saved from death by Bibles that turned bullets from their hearts. I carried my khaki covered Testament, but not in my left breast pocket, my steel mirror was there. In other pockets were my small silk flag, my notebook with a list of names of the men in my platoon, a box of matches, my money, a knife, an indelible pencil. My whistle dangled from my breast pocket. The satchel of my gasmask was strapped at the alert beneath my chin. My pistol belt carried my canteen, the automatic pistol, four extra loaded magazines and my first aid packet. My raincoat hung awkwardly from it at one side. My pack held nothing but my mess kit, two cans of beans and two cans of meat. My steel helmet topped off.”

 

Photo no. 20: One M1910 ID Tag Marking Kit was carried with each company’s HQ detachment. It was used to alter, update and to make replacement tags whenever necessary. This particular compact wooden case is missing the printed instruction sheet that was normally found on the inside of the lid. Arranged outside of the box is the anvil, hammer, formatting template and a handful of the steel stamping dies. (Courtesy Advance Guard Militaria)

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Photo no. 21: The secondary disc shown here belonged to a recently promoted 1st lieutenant. It was altered in the field, by carving out the numeral and letters that composed the rank of “2nd” (lieutenant) and has been replaced by the word “1st”, crudely scratched into the soft aluminum tag just above the abbreviated word “Lieut.”, while the smaller primary tag was completely replaced and re-stamped with his updated higher rank. (Courtesy of AGM)

 

 

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The June 1918 Changes

 

In the early months of 1918, just a few months after the Doughboys entered the trenches the ID Tags they wore were stamped with each individual soldier’s Branch, Corps or Department designation and many soldier’s had developed the habit of marking their tags with their individual rank, army job description and other unnecessary information. By June 1918, GHQ had determined that the unit designation could be of use to enemy intelligence officers and deemed it to be a security risk and high command generated a general order that directed that all unit designations would be eliminated and replaced by the initials “U.S.A.” before the troops entered into the “Zone of Advance”. It further demanded that all enlisted rank and other unauthorized information was to be removed. After the issue of this order many Doughboys drew a new set of ID Tags, stamped without any rank and with the initials of the United States of America, instead of their individual unit. But, in many cases, for whatever reason the dog tag marking outfit or blank tags were not available, so in order to comply with the latest order, the troops at the front had to modify their old tags by stamping over or otherwise defacing the now forbidden information before they could move into the front line.

 

 

Photo no. 22: Both of these ID Tags have been formatted to the out of date March 1918 regulations and have been field modified to update them to the current June 1918 regulation that required all unit, organization and enlisted men’s rank to be removed. Both have had their unit designations obliterated to prevent the information, now deemed a security risk, from falling into enemy hands. The first tag has been stamped over using the letter “X” die from the dog tag marking outfit and the unit on the second tag has been completely carved away, most likely with a pocket knife or bayonet. (Courtesy of forum member F 106 pilot & unknown forum member)

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Photo no. 23: This pair of ID Tags made up of a 1910/16 secondary disc and a 1917 makeshift, square tag are both marked with low serial numbers and the tag bearing the soldier’s unit has been successfully stamped over but the enlisted rank was not. (Courtesy of forum member mars & thunder)

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Photo no. 24: This dog tag is a textbook example of how GHQ expected the ID Tags of all Doughboys to appear after June of 1918. They were to be marked only with the soldier’s name and the initials U.S.A. on the obverse and the serial number on the reverse, without any further embellishments and all commissioned officer’s ID Tags were to include their rank as well. (Courtesy of forum member vincennes)

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Before the men were allowed to enter into the war zone it was standard procedure for regulars and rookies alike, to stand for a formal equipment inspection. An important part of the inspection included the checking of their ID Tags to insure that both dog tags were present, that they were both up to date, that they were both properly marked and that they contained no information that could be of benefit to the enemy. An artillery man serving with the 85th Division recalled the last minute check that was made on the weapons they carried and the dog tags they wore, just before they moved out for the front line trenches. He tersely stated in his diary,

 

“Had formal inspections this a.m. of pistols and identification tags.”

 

Photo no. 25: This reconstruction of a Corporal serving with the 127th Infantry, 32nd Division, in August 1918 is passing through a mobile delousing and shower facility erected by the Quartermaster Corps for the men coming out of the lines and is waiting on “snake parade” the A.E.F. nickname for one of the army’s never ending lines, where at the end a replacement uniform awaits. Suspended from his neck are the ubiquitous dog tags that would be needed to identify him in the event that he was killed or wounded in action. To supplement the dog tags he has strapped a field made identity bracelet around his left wrist. It is made from a piece of scrap aluminum and has been stamped with the same dies that were used to mark the dog tags.

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Photo no. 26: These artillery or cavalry troopers are standing for the weekly equipment inspection, part of which included the examination of each mans pair of 1910/16 ID Tags, which are on display on the outside of their shirts for the prying eyes of the commanding officer and the First Sergeant.

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Unauthorized Embellishments and Non Regulation ID Tags

 

Despite the written regulations and frequent inspections of the dog tags worn by the troops, many Doughboys couldn’t help themselves and added an endless variety of unauthorized personal information to their ID Tags. Most of the extra data was stamped onto them using the dog tag marking kit but it was sometimes carved or scratched onto the aluminum disc using a pocket knife or other sharp instrument. Most of these embellishments were overlooked by commanding officers during the frequent inspections, provided that no crucial information was revealed and as long as any of the additions did not interfere or otherwise deface the required information. When WW I ID Tags are examined today, it seems as if very few are marked properly, according to the regulations. The personal information added by the men ranged from their rank or military occupation, such as “cook”, “mechanic” and “wagonneer”, to their home towns, religious instructions and diary type information and even crudely drawn divisional insignia. Several examples of embellished ID Tags are shown below.

 

 

Photo no. 27: Although rank insignia was prescribed for all officer’s dog tags, this information was not allowed on enlisted men’s tags after mid 1918; however, many of the Doughboy’s disregarded Army regulations and stamped their ID Tags accordingly. The two discs shown below are marked to a corporal and a private who both felt that if they included their rank it would somehow aid with their identification. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 28: These two ID Tags have both been embellished with the soldier’s military occupations, that of a wagoneer and a mechanic respectively. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 29: This tag belonging to an officer in the Marine Corps, who evidently felt more secure that his next of kin would be notified if he was killed or wounded in the line f duty, by adding his home town to the reverse side of his ID Tag. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 30: Many Catholic soldiers were concerned that they would not receive the “Last rites” from a priest before passing away and marked their dog tags “Send for a Priest” or “Please send for a priest” in the hopes that attending medical personnel would summon a Catholic Chaplain if they were in danger of dying from their wounds. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

 

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Photo no. 31: This tag marked to Harry C. Sweet, U.S.A., 2940572, on the other side, must have been of the Catholic faith and like the soldier above, desired to receive the “Last Rites” and marked both of his ID Tags with the words “Send for a priest”.

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Photo no. 32: The small primary tag belonging to this soldier has been marked with diary type information that recorded an important event of his service overseas. (Courtesy of forum member mars & thunder)

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Photo no. 33: This ID Tag has had the setting sun emblem of the 41st or “Sunset” Division carved onto the reverse side. (Courtesy of Bay State Militaria)

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“All civilians attached thereto…”

Non Regulation Identity Tags

 

A.E.F. regulations stipulated that all members of that command, even non military personnel were to wear an ID Tag and this included all YMCA, Red Cross and other volunteer workers. In General Order No. 91 dated June 10, 1918 some clarification was made regarding whom and how the ID Tags were to be worn, which read as follows’

 

“The aluminum identification tags, each the size of a silver half dollar and of suitable thickness, will be worn by each officer and soldier of the American Expeditionary Force and by all civilians attached thereto. These tags will be worn suspended from the neck underneath the clothing by a cord or thong passed through a small hole in the tag, the second tag to be suspended from the first by a short piece of string or tape.”

 

Uncle Sam did not provide the non-military volunteers who helped to care for the Doughboys as they came out of the lines, recuperated in the hospitals and convalescent areas or visited the leave and official A.E.F. recreation areas that were established behind the lines. The official and unofficial civilian workers and volunteers serving in Europe, for the most part, had to procure their own personnel ID Tags. Some received ID Tags from their respective organization and many more were purchased commercially from various military outfitters and a number of different types and styles were worn.

 

 

Photo no. 34: These tags were worn by two volunteer nurses who served overseas with the A.E.F. They show two types of privately purchase dog tags that were worn by non military personnel. (Courtesy of forum member’s kfields & mars & thunder)

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Photo no. 35: This chart lists the dates and significant changes highlighted in red that were made to the U.S. Army ID Tags during the period 1906 to1918.

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“The best system of identification known…”

U.S. Navy Identity Tags

 

Photo no. 36: It is quite possible that the early Navy ID Tag were fabricated with just one hole on the narrow side for the neck cord to pass through and later in 1917 or 1918 the tags were altered to have two holes, one on each side. The tag shown below named to John Stickel could be an early Navy tag, circa 1916. Note that both tags have been chemically etched with the required data but in different configurations. (Courtesy of forum member bobgee)

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Navy Department General Order No. 294 dated May 12, 1916 ordered the Navy to follow in the footsteps of the Army by authorizing an ID Tag for all naval personnel. The dog tag adopted by the Navy was oval in shape, thirty two by thirty eight millimeters in size and was made from Monel metal, a corrosion resistant alloy of nickel and copper containing small amounts of iron and manganese. The ID Tag that each sailor wore around his neck had either one or two holes located on the narrow side to accept a Monel metal wire that was encased in a white cotton sleeve. Not only did the Navy tag differ from the Army’s in shape but all of the information it contained was permanently acid etched into the metal, not stamped letter by letter like the Army dog tags.

 

The Navy ID Tags were also unique in that each tag contained the fingerprint of its owner on the reverse side to further aid with the identification of the man wearing it. A copy of each fingerprint was kept on file in the Identification Section at the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, where, J.H. Taylor a well known expert in fingerprint identification and the designer of the Navy ID Tag was invaluable in successfully identifying any dead naval personnel whose identity was in doubt. At the time of their adoption Navy regulations required that each ID Tag contain the following information:

 

a. Enlisted men: The front side of the tag bore the initials “U.S.N.”, the sailor’s initials of his first and middle name and his full surname, the date of his first enlistment, his date of birth and on the back of the tag was the fingerprint taken from his right index finger.

 

b. Officers: The initials “U.S.N.”, the officer’s initials of his first and middle name and his full surname, the date of his appointment, his rank and the fingerprint from his right index finger.

 

An article published in the August 1917 edition of “Our Navy” described and extolled the virtues of the Navy’s new ID Tag,

 

“Every officer and enlisted man in the United States Navy will wear a metal identification tag which will bear the wearer's name, the date of his birth and enlistment, and, in the case of an officer, his rank and date of appointment. On the other side will be etched the fingerprint of his right index finger. This is part of what naval officers regard as the best system of identification known, superior to that in use in European armies and navies.”

 

Photo no. 37: This publicity photo of the recently adopted Navy ID Tag appeared in the March 1918 edition of the magazine “Popular Science” and shows how the tags were to be etched. The date of the sailor’s first enlistment was his primary identifying number and it appeared next to his name on all role and muster sheets as well as other official Navy documents. (Courtesy of forum member hhbooker)

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Photo no. 38: This Navy officer’s ID Tag shows his name, rank, the date of his present appointment, the initials “U.S.N.” and his fingerprint is on the reverse. Just like the date of first enlistment for enlisted men, the date of appointment was an officer’s identifying number. (Courtesy of forum member kfields)

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Photo no. 39: Both of these Navy ID Tags bear the correct information for enlisted men except one has the initials “U.S.N.R.” (For Navy reserve) and the other features a second hole for the neck cord. (Courtesy of unknown forum member & Bay State Militaria)

post-5143-1240952723.jpg

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“They will always be worn…”

U.S. Marine Corps Identity Tags

 

Navy ID Tags worn by the Marine Corps

 

Presumably some members of the Marine Corps, a branch of the Navy, were issued with the same Navy style ID Tag before a round aluminum Army style ID Tag was adopted by the U.S.M.C. in May of 1916. The Navy’s oval dog tag would have been etched with the initials “U.S.M.C.”, the Marine’s full name, the date of his first enlistment and in the case of officer’s, it would have his present rank and the date that he was appointed to that rank. It is not certain if the Marine’s date of birth was included at that time or if his fingerprint was placed on the reverse of the acid etched tags used by Marines.

 

Photo no. 40: Two of these Marines digging practice trenches early in 1917 seem to be wearing navy blue or dark olive drab wool sweaters along with 1912 Marine Corps Summer Field Trousers made of khaki cotton. Note that the Marine on the left hand side of the photograph has been issued an oval Navy style ID Tag.

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Photo no. 41: This close up of the Marine wearing the Navy style ID Tag shows that it has two holes instead of one for the neck cord to pass through.

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Photo no. 42: A Navy dog tag issued to a Marine would have been etched much like this mock up, bearing his name, date of first enlistment and the initials “U.S.M.C.” on the front and possibly a fingerprint on the back. If the tag belonged to a commissioned officer of the Marine Corps it would be etched with his present rank and the date that he was appointed to that rank rather than the date of his first enlistment.

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The 1916 USMC Identity Tag

 

In General Order No. 32, dated October 6, 1916 the Marine Corps adopted an ID Tag of its own. It was a copy of the round, aluminum dog tag used by the Army and all new Marine recruits were issued two discs, a primary disc thirty one millimeters in diameter with two holes and a secondary disc thirty five millimeters in diameter with only one hole. The oval Navy style tags if issued, continued to be worn by “salty” long time campaigners until they needed to be updated or replaced. The order that came down from U.S.M.C. command decreed that henceforth, all Marines would wear two army style ID tags instead of one. In the directive the Marine’s were ordered to wear one dog tag (the smaller primary tag) suspended from the issued khaki linen neck tape with the second disc (the larger secondary tag) hung one inch below. In part the Marine order stated,

 

“Hereafter Identity Tags will be issued to all officers and enlisted men of the Marine Corps. They will always be worn when engaged in field service, and at all other times they will either be worn or kept in the possession of the owner.”

 

In the order the manner in which the two round tags were marked was stated and they were to contain the following information:

 

a. Officers: With the initials “U.S.M.C.”, full name, present rank and the date that rank was appointed.

 

b. Enlisted men: With the initials “U.S.M.C.”, full name, and the date of his first enlistment.

 

The new round aluminum tag now worn by the “Leathernecks” was identical to its army counterpart except that the initials “U.S.M.C.” were machined onto the front of each disc during the manufacturing process and the information on the tag was no longer chemically etched it was now stamped onto the tag one letter at a time using the 1910 ID Tag Making Kit and the fingerprint was no longer included on the aluminum tag.

 

 

Photo no. 43: The 1916 ID Tags worn by the “soldier’s of the sea” bore the Marine’s name, the date of his first enlistment, as well as the initials “U.S.M.C”. Note that the initials have been machined onto the aluminum disc during the manufacturing process and not individually stamped; this indicated that the ID Tag was issued by the Quartermaster of the Marine Corps. (Courtesy forum member teufelhund)

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The 1917 square USMC Identity Tags

 

After the declaration of war by President Woodrow Wilson and the U.S. Congress in April 1917 the Marine Corps suffered from the same shortage of clothing and equipment as the Army did. A result of this was a shortage of the round aluminum ID Tags issued by the Marine Corps and the Marines serving in France were subject to the same A.E.F. general Order dated August 3, 1917 that allowed all A.E.F. personnel, including the Leathernecks to wear the makeshift, square ID Tag until sufficient supplies of regulation round dog tags became available.

 

Photo no. 44: A temporary square ID Tag began to be issued to Marine Corps personnel in August of 1917.to supplement existing supplies of regulation dog tags. This mock up represents a tag stamped correctly per the October 1916 regulations and bears the Marine’s name, date of first enlistment and the initials “U.S.M.C.”

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The February 1918 changes

 

An amendment was made to A.E.F. General Order No. 21 on February 15, 1918 which went out to all U.S.M.C. personnel serving in the A.E.F. The amendment stated that,

 

“Both tags would be stamped with the name, rank, Company, Regiment or Corps to which the wearer belongs.”

 

In addition the same order also provided that an Army style serial number was assigned to every Marine serving in France. General Order No. 10 of the 6th Marine Regiment specifically stated that,

 

“The numbers assigned to all men present will be stamped on identification tags.”

 

In most cases the new serial number was added onto the reverse side of both tags that were worn and all Marine’s attached to the A.E.F. were now to have their dog tags marked as follows:

 

a. Officers: With the initials “U.S.M.C.”, full name, present rank his Company, Regiment or Corps, the date he was appointed an officer and a serial number.

 

b. Enlisted men: With the initials “U.S.M.C.”, full name, present rank, his Company, Regiment or Corps, the date of his first enlistment and a serial number

 

 

Photo no. 45: This USMC dog tag has been updated to correctly follow the February 1917 regulations. The tag has been stamped with the Marine’s rank on the front and on the reverse with his serial number and unit designation. (Courtesy forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 46: This photo compares the early 1916 type ID Tag issued by the Marine Corps and the later 1917 type ID Tag that was sometimes issued to Marines through Army supply channels. Note that the later tag has the Marine’s rank and unit designation and the difference between the U.S.M.C. tag’s machined initials and the Army issued hand stamped initials.(Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 47: At first glance the history of this Marine ID Tag seems confusing but upon closer inspection it reveals that it was originally stamped per the August 1917 regulations and contained the Marine’s name, rank and the initials “U.S.M.C.” on the front and the low serial number of 272,005, his date of enlistment and his unit designation, that of the 2nd Replacement Battalion on the reverse. Ultimately he was assigned to the 134th Company and he field modified the tag by scratching out his previous outfit and stamped his new (134th Company) outfit above the serial number. The second hole punched through at the top of the tag was most likely used to suspend the secondary tag. The numerals “66-5” crudely marked on the front of the tag remain a mystery. If any forum member can identify the meaning of the number 66-5 please make a post. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

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Photo no. 48: This chart shows the chronology and dates that the U.S.M.C. ID Tags were changed, with all significant changes highlighted in red.

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“Every soldier has two identification tags—one to be buried with him and the other one used for an identification mark…”

The Identity Tag and burial of America’s war dead

 

Photo no. 49: After every major engagement the Graves Registration Service of the Quartermaster Corps insured that all of the A.E.F. war dead were recovered, identified and buried in neat rows, with their resting place marked by a marked wooden cross until the war ended at which time they would be exhumed for reburial or shipped home to their family.

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“A little improvised cross …”

Makeshift field graves

 

The primary purpose of the ID Tag was to positively identify the remains of a soldier in the event that he was killed or wounded in action. Regulations required that the primary tag (the one suspended from the neck tape) was to always remain around the neck of the body, until it was buried. The supplementary disc was the one that was removed and forwarded to division HQ where an “Immediate report of death” form was filled out and sent on to the Quartermaster Department thus, beginning the long road that led to the notification of the victim’s next of kin. Platoon and Company commanders as well as Chaplains were made responsible for collecting the tags of their men killed in battle. A 1st Division private, who reported to the captain in charge, the death of five company men who were killed by a single shell, recorded the result’s of the detail that the captain sent to collect their tags and personal effects,

 

“A runner was sent back to where the men had been blown to pieces. He was to get any personal effects, and I.D. tags. He came back with a few letters a few tags and a watch.”

 

The officers and Chaplains also performed the sad task of informing the dead men’s families of their death and provided them with a few additional details about the circumstances of their demise. These letters written by a Chaplain attached to the 1st Division and a captain with the 56th Infantry Regiment are typical of the thousands of similar letters written and sent during 1917 and 1918,

 

“Dear Sir, January 1919

 

Your son, Walter G. Shaw, was killed by a shell on October 2, 1918. The 18th Infantry was holding the line at a town called Charpentry in the Argonne. All day and night the shells were falling on our position. One of the shells killed your boy. He is buried at Charpentry.

 

May God reward and comfort you for having given a son to the service, who gave his life for freedom and justice and the peace we will soon enjoy.

 

Chaplain King, 18th Infantry, 1st Division”

 

Dear Sir, Dec, 4, 1918

 

Your son Lorenzo Lipscomb, who was a member of company M, 56th infantry. Which I commanded was killed in action on November 10th, 1918.

 

There is little I can say or do that will lesson your sorrow, but I thought that you would like to know that your son died bravely doing his duty, a true American soldier. Your son was always an excellent soldier and enjoyed at all times the friendship and respect of all members of his company. With the great courage and devotion to duty that characterized his daily life in the army, he has made the supreme sacrifice that enables us who are more fortunate to enjoy the peace that has come to us now.

 

We share in the loss of our comrade and brother in arms the grief you feel in the loss of your son. Accept our deepest sympathy in your bereavement.

 

Sincerely,

 

Francis A, Woolfley

cpt. 56th inf.

 

 

Once the secondary tag was collected the primary tag was left around the neck of the deceased, it was to stay with the body at all times and was not to be removed except when the remains were temporarily interred. Many of the soldiers who were killed on the battlefield or died in route to a battalion aid station were hastily buried in a shell hole or shallow grave by litter bearers, Navy corpsmen, Army medics and combat troops. The location of the temporary field graves all had to be noted and marked with the dog tag taken from around the neck of the deceased for later identification. A Marine sniper who was detailed as a stretcher bearer, carrying a wounded comrade for first aid explained in his field diary, how this was done,

 

“Hamilton died before we reached the dressing station. Not wishing to leave him on the field, we buried him in a shell hole, putting up a little improvised cross and fastening one of his I.D. tags to the cross.”

 

Photo no. 50: Hastily erected crosses or a rifle shoved into the ground, bayonet first with a single dog tag attached usually marked the temporary resting spot of the soldier’s that were killed in action.

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The single field graves that were scattered across the lines of advance were hard to ignore and a passing artilleryman with the 85th Division, moving the French seventy five’s forward, couldn’t help but notice the numerous graves, all marked with a single ID Tag that dotted the route his battery traveled,

 

“We passed many graves where our boys were buried. A simple wooden cross with one identification tag nailed to it at the head and his rusty bayonet sticking up at the feet.”

 

Shortly after the fighting ceased, Graves Registration and burial details often assisted by combat soldiers closely followed the advancing infantry collecting personal effects as well as ID Tags for identification purposes and promptly buried the dead in carefully marked temporary graves. After every engagement makeshift burial plots covered the lines of advance, each one crudely marked by a rough improvised cross, hopefully, with a dog tag attached. These shallow, hastily dug field graves became a very real reminder of the possible fate of reserve and replacement troops moving up to the shifting front lines, a fact that did not go unnoticed by a rookie replacement on his way to join the 28th Infantry, 1st Division. For the first time he saw with his own eyes the harsh reality of the war,

 

“We realized now for the first time the truth, when we saw the dead comrades, or what remained of them, being carried in ponchos or blankets to the rear areas for such burial as a small group of soldiers can give them in the nearest shell hole. The dog tags removed from around their necks and tied to the rifles and stuck bayonet first into the ground to mark the spot. Then, if he was lucky, much later when the war had passed this area by a burial party will come along, dig up the remains in the poncho or blanket and re-bury it in a Government plot of ground.”

 

Photo no. 51: It was the policy of the A.E.F. to bury the dead as quickly as possible to avoid lowering the morale of reserve and replacement troops as they were brought forward. Green troops entering the battle lines were often shaken at the sight of long rows of bodies that were awaiting burial.

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“The meanest and saddest detail…”

 

Policing up the dead

 

Prior to WW I the Army had no official method for the handling of war dead and in August of 1917 the Quartermaster Corps was charged with organizing a Graves Registration service for the purpose of identification and the reverent handling of the dead, marking graves and recording the burials and to establish and care for cemeteries of American soldiers killed in action. During active operations the burial of the dead was of the utmost importance to GHQ, not only because of the effect the bodies of dead American soldiers had on the combat troops morale but also because if they were left to lie on the battlefield for days, they soon decomposed and became a sanitary matter of the greatest importance. According to the chief surgeon of the 1st Army Corps,

 

“After their death they soon decomposed and formed most unsightly and unsanitary objects. The stench was terrific but the worst feature was that of fly breeding. The bodies of both horses and men soon became a mass of maggots and flies bread by the millions—the surrounding country was infested with them.”

 

High command adopted the policy that burials should be accomplished as promptly as possible and one company of pioneer infantry was placed under the control of the division sanitation officer to follow up the advancing combat troops as closely as possible to bury the dead as they found them. It was further determined that combat troops should not be called upon for this work if possible because:

 

1. Fighting troops could not always be removed from the line for the purpose of burying the dead.

2. After an engagement the line troops were exhausted and should not be used to perform manual labor.

3. The effect on the morale of the combat troops who were compelled to bury their own dead was very bad.

4. If left to the combat troops, each division would have its own method or no method at all and the results were bound to be unsatisfactory.

 

Proper procedures were put in place and each organization was charged with burying its own dead and a burial officer was appointed by each commanding officer, which in most cases fell to the division Chaplain. The burial process began by collecting the bodies of men into groups whenever possible to be buried together in selected spots and animals were buried wherever it was convenient. It was stressed that the entire battlefield should be carefully searched to insure that no dead would be overlooked and that burials in single graves or small isolated groups should be avoided where ever possible. With this in mind squads of men were sent out to search for the unburied and to exhume those who had been hastily buried in shallow graves. A private first class with the 102nd Engineers, 27th Division described this unenviable task,

 

“Two of our infantry regiments are on detail pulling the wounded and dead back. It is the meanest and saddest detail of all. First you just take them back a fair distance, then later put them in a wagon and bring them back where they will be buried for the time being. If you have burlap you wrap them up and if no burlap, just no burlap. Not only is this a sad detail but, also it ids dangerous. First because of disease and, then they could be attached to a booby trap. It is pretty hard to bury a soldier and to think that some hour not far away you might be the next victim. After burying the dead you make sure their identification tag is on. Every soldier has two identification tags—one to be buried with him and the other one used for an identification mark.”

 

Photo no. 52: After any engagement dead Doughboys littered the lines of advance and the first step in the burial process was gathering the bodies and bringing them to a central location to be processed and identified before being buried.

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“We gather everything…”

Collecting ID Tags and personal effects

 

Photo no. 53: Here a Chaplain carefully checks each fallen soldier for any belongings to forward them on to Division HQ and then to the Quartermaster Department who, in turn will send them home to the next of kin in the U.S.

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After the bodies had been brought to a central location they were arranged in rows and each one was carefully searched for identification and personal possessions, any serviceable equipment such as helmets, shoes, cartridge belts, etc. were removed and placed on a salvage pile to later be cleaned, repaired and reissued, then the bodies were wrapped in blankets, ponchos, shelter halves or whatever happened to be on hand. Many of the passing infantry men couldn’t help themselves and curiously wandered along the rows of fallen Doughboys. During a lull in the fighting for the Argonne forest a private first class in the “All American”, 82nd Division recalled the sight of the broken and mangled bodies,

 

“There was a clearing a short distance back of our position and a company of S.O.S. were carrying dead soldiers together and laying them in rows—one American, one German and one French. They had about 400 already; the American now was the longest. I went along the lines and looked at them and some had their heads off, some had arms or legs off and some were cut in two. Some were all torn to pieces and others I could see no wounds at all.”

 

Chaplains were required to be present at each burial, if possible and were also charged with properly recording the names of the dead and to insure that the graves were all carefully marked. After they were officially notified by the Army it was not unusual for the family of deceased soldiers to later contact the Chaplains for additional details regarding the death of their loved ones, or to inquire about the whereabouts of his burial and the status of their personal possessions. A Catholic Chaplain serving in the 128th Infantry Regiment remembered when he had to return to the aid station to assist with the burial of a mortally wounded soldier. In a letter written to the boy’s grieving mother, he gave the following details regarding the whereabouts of her son’s remains,

 

“Knowing that his condition was serious, I prepared him for death. I expected, however to learn someday that he had fully recovered. We carried him outside and snugly wrapped in a blanket. There were a number of men with him, some in even worse condition. I was called back into the station and returning to the road, found Frank had passed away. I buried him in a little cemetery plot of our own near the cave on what is known as Valpreig Farm, just west of Juvigny. One identification disc was buried with him and one nailed to the cross marking his grave.”

 

Another officer, a captain with the 32nd Division wrote the following, in reply to a letter written by the mother of a mortally wounded soldier, seeking the location of her sons body and noted that his field grave had been marked by one of his issued ID Tags,

 

“I have no positive information as to the place of burial but our casualties were heavy and in all probabilities his remains lie with many others close to the dressing station which is near Buiexy, France. All the graves are marked and bear their identification tag worn by all soldiers for that purpose.”

 

Photo no. 54: The regimental Chaplains were charged with handling all the details of the burial, such as collecting dog tags and personal items, as well as recording the location of the temporary burial plots and often followed up the official Army telegrams that notified the next of kin, with further information about the soldier’s death.

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During the collection of the dead and the burial process, if the ID Tag was found at any location other than around the neck of the deceased it was noted in the “Record of Personal Effects of Deceased Personnel” and placed in the effects bag along with all of the possessions taken from the body. If there was only one tag present on the body, a duplicate tag had to be made on the spot, to match the original and if the remains were unidentified, two tags marked “unidentified” were made and the bodies were searched for any other means of identification, such as letters, photographs, lockets etc. Every clue would be followed up, and if a failure to identify still resulted, all data was forwarded to the Graves Registration Service of the Quartermaster Department for further research.

 

The Chaplains who gathered the effects of the dead soldiers were required to make a detailed list of every item taken from the body. In a letter answering a mother’s request regarding the delay in forwarding her son’s personal effects, the Chaplain of the, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division wrote the following,

 

“I do not recall just what effects he had on his person. We gather everything that is possible to send home and forward it to the Division burial officer. They then pass through the Q.M. Department and are sent to the nearest of kin. The volume of business is so immense that I imagine it will take some time for them to reach home. I do recall he had a little folder with a crucifix and a scapular medal. They were forwarded with other things we had.”

 

Chaplains and other officers also did everything possible to prevent the looting of the dead, which, unfortunately was an all too common occurrence on the battlefield. The bodies of the dead soldiers were looted by reserve troops moving up to the front, stretcher bearers and other medical personnel as well as the other Allied soldiers who believed that every “Yank” was a millionaire because they were paid substantially more than the Allied soldiers. An Australian soldier, fighting alongside the American Doughboys in Flanders openly admitted and justified this behavior,

 

“Most of the men ‘souvinired’ the Americans before they were buried and some got great hauls of money (in French bank notes of course) as most Americans were wealthy and had plenty of money on them. This was quite alright as we may as well have had the money and make use of it (which we did) instead of burying it with them.”

 

Photo no. 55: This photo shows some of the small personal items that a Doughboy may have carries in his pockets or on his person. In the event of his death or wounding these items were to be collected and held at the hospital for him or forwarded to his family in the U.S. One Doughboy noted in his diary the items he removed from his buddy who had been killed in action,

 

“I took a testament bearing his wife’s name, a lock of his baby’s hair that had been sent to him by his wife, several letters, some photographs, a sweater and an I.D. card.”

 

It was a sad but true fact that many of the valuables carried by front line combat troops were stolen while they lay on the battlefield or during their medical treatment. According to a twice wounded 1st lieutenant in the 89th Division,

 

“Perhaps the chief evil was the ‘salvaging’ of the property of patients. A man who went to a hospital stood an even chance of losing his valuables. I know that on my first visit to the hospital I was robbed of money, German souvenirs and a cigarette case. The second time I lost my watch the only thing of value I had on me.” Clockwise from top:

 

1. Non regulation eyeglasses and case

2. Money belt

3. Enlisted mans “Individual Pay Record Book”

4. ID Tags on a commercially available chain made specifically for Doughboy dog tags.

5. Black leather YMCA billfold

6. Silver 303rd Infantry Regiment (76th Division) finger ring

7. Identification bracelet

8. Pocket knife

9. Match book donated by the Red Cross

10. Cigarette case

11. French date book and pencil

12. French/English “Parley Voo Booklet”, Kolynos was a popular brand of toothpaste and the booklets

were donated to the Doughboys as they left the U.S.

13. Khaki handkerchief with crossed rifles embroidered in white thread.

14. Commercially made locket collar disc with photograph

15. 1917 dated Bullova wristwatch

16. “Bull Durham” tobacco bag used to carry small change and a religious token.

post-5143-1240955580.jpg

 

Photo no. 56: An inventory of every deceased Doughboy’s personal effects had to be made and forwarded to the Graves registration Service along with the items noted on the list in a personal effects bag. This list of items belonged to a soldier from the 3rd Division and was compiled by a Chaplain with the 7th Division.

post-5143-1240955719.jpg

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world war I nerd

 

“The task of covering the body…”

Six feet of France to sleep in

 

Photo no. 57: Once the fallen soldiers were gathered, searched for identification and suitably covered in a blanket a shallow temporary grave was prepared.

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After the fallen soldiers had been gathered, searched, identified and suitably covered a shallow temporary grave was prepared, often under fire by pioneer troops, graves registration personnel, replacements and sometimes line troops. A Doughboy, in the 305th Machine Gun Battalion, who was assigned to help with the burying of the dead, recalled the grisly and sometimes dangerous duty, while in range of enemy artillery,

 

“Picks and shovels were carried around for the task of covering the body. We started the task but before we had gone very far the enemy, ever watchful, shelled us out. When the shelling ceased we returned and finished the job, which was not a pleasant one. Dog tags, papers and pictures which were scattered around were gathered up and turned in to the company commander.”

 

And an unlucky private serving in the 5th Marine Regiment, who was also detailed to help with the burial of his comrades, had this to say, after first noting his displeasure about the task,

 

“It was bad enough to see them killed and wounded, much less have to help bury them. Most of them were buried side by side in a long grave, a chaplain being in charge of the work.”

 

When the bodies were finally laid to rest, usually side by side in a shallow trench or large shell hole, one tag was buried with the body to be used when the body was exhumed later and moved to an official government plot. The other tag was placed on a wire ring in the sequence in which the bodies were laid in the temporary burial location; all of which was done under the supervision of a Chaplain or officer in charge. An unknown Doughboy wrote these brief remarks describing another hurried burial service held on the battlefield,

 

“The body is laid in a great shell crater with eleven others. The service is said by a chaplain who himself has fought in the ranks. He marks the grave with a cross made from a broken ammunition box.”

 

In March of 1918 the Secretary of War and the Navy both agreed to bury America’s soldier dead abroad and to return their bodies to the U.S. at some future date. By the time of the Armistice there were some 2,400 separate American burial places in Europe which were condensed down to seven hundred semi official burial plots, which in turn, were further reduced to just eight cemeteries. After the war Graves Registration details disinterred the remains of the Doughboys for reburial at one of the eight permanent National Cemeteries that were established for them in Europe. At the same time back in America, the families of the soldiers were asked to choose whether their loved ones should remain where they fell in Europe or be shipped back to the U.S. Approximately thirty five percent of the families decided that their kin should remain in one of the eight official cemeteries that were established; one in England, one in Belgium and six in France for our World War I dead.

 

During the war the use of dog tags combined with the efforts of the Quartermaster Corps, Graves Registration Service proved to be an effective measure to identify the dead and wounded of the A.E.F. and was so successful that out of the 116,708 deaths from combat and disease only 3,173 Doughboy’s were classified as unidentified or missing in action.

 

Photo No. 58: Long after the fighting had moved on, the hundreds of temporary field graves were dug up and the remains were reburied in semi official cemeteries that were dedicated solely to the Doughboys of the A.E.F., like this one located near Chateau Thierry where each grave is marked by a red, white and blue wreath bearing the soldiers name. Later eight of these cemeteries would be made into permanent cemeteries with each resting place marked by a white marble cross carved with the fallen soldier’s name.

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Photo no 59: Of the two million Doughboys who served in France more than 100,000 of them died overseas. Thirty five percent remain buried in Europe and sixty five percent were returned to the U.S. during the 1920’s and 1930’s to be buried by their family. Below are a few items used to remember those who were killed in action. Clockwise from top left:

 

1. Forty eight star flags like this were used to mark the grave of the war dead abroad and in the U.S.

 

2. One of the many WW I bronze grave markers that were sold after the Armistice in America.

 

3. Many soldiers were allowed to return home for a final visit. Some arrived home bearing gifts, and for

many a gold star mother the last thing she received from her son was a patriotic pillow sham.

 

4. A set of Doughboy dog tags that have been unofficially stamped “Send for a priest”.

 

5. Photos of loved ones in uniform, who were killed in action were cherished by grieving families.

 

6. This official A.E.F. document lists the personal effects taken from a dead soldier from the 3rd Division.

 

7. Photo postcards showing A.E.F. cemeteries were popular wartime and post war souvenirs.

 

8. When the belongings of a deceased soldier were collected before burial, they were placed in an “effects

bag” which was labeled and forwarded to his next of kin.

 

9. Another example of a post war bronze grave marker used for WW I veteran’s graves.

post-5143-1240956168.jpg

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Photo no. 47: At first glance the history of this Marine ID Tag seems confusing but upon closer inspection it reveals that it was originally stamped per the August 1917 regulations and contained the Marine’s name, rank and the initials “U.S.M.C.” on the front and the low serial number of 272,005, his date of enlistment and his unit designation, that of the 2nd Replacement Battalion on the reverse. Ultimately he was assigned to the 134th Company and he field modified the tag by scratching out his previous outfit and stamped his new (134th Company) outfit above the serial number. The second hole punched through at the top of the tag was most likely used to suspend the secondary tag. The numerals “66-5” crudely marked on the front of the tag remain a mystery. If any forum member can identify the meaning of the number 66-5 please make a post. (Courtesy of forum member teufelhund)

 

NOTE: Brian - Pvt Elmer H. REED USMC served in the 66th Company, 5th Marines! Confirmed in Ancestry.Com Great Thread!

Semper Fi......Bobgee

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world war I nerd

Thanks for that info bobgee.

 

So does that mean that the 134th Co, scratched onto his tag, was his company number in the 2nd replacement Battalion?

 

Or would it have some other meaning?

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