Armed 2 tha Teeth Posted January 28, 2009 Share #51 Posted January 28, 2009 Greg,I think this may be a picture of these alpaca lined vests being used by 1stMarDiv at New River, NC in 1942. This was taken from the divisional history The Old Breed. This was taken from the Philadelphia Quartermaster's magazine "The Depot Digest". I do not have the exact date with me right now, but I believe it was in 1944. This is taken from an ad for a new USMCWR uniform shop that had opened in the city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armed 2 tha Teeth Posted January 28, 2009 Share #52 Posted January 28, 2009 Has anyone else found anything about these vests? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Robinson Posted January 28, 2009 Share #53 Posted January 28, 2009 Greg, I think this may be a picture of these alpaca lined vests being used by 1stMarDiv at New River, NC in 1942. This was taken from the divisional history The Old Breed. This was taken from the Philadelphia Quartermaster's magazine "The Depot Digest". I do not have the exact date with me right now, but I believe it was in 1944. This is taken from an ad for a new USMCWR uniform shop that had opened in the city. The photo from Camp Lejeune shows a vest with front buttons but maybe that was an early version. But all I've seen have zippers. The other one show on the Depot list is for Woman Marines but it does confirm that such an item existed back then. I know the alpaca lined parkas were being made by the Phila Depot as early as 1947-1948. It's logical that the parka and vest, both using the same brown alpaca, were developed around the same time....during WW2....but I suspect that with a war going on in the Pacific, cold weather gear was a low priority. Of course, if we'd had to invade Japan such clothing would eventually have been needed. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armed 2 tha Teeth Posted January 28, 2009 Share #54 Posted January 28, 2009 Greg, The vests being worn in the first picture clearly are zippered rather than buttoned. The 'bunching' that appears on the Marine at far right is because the vest is tight over his other layers not because there are buttons. Look at the Marine at far right (smoking a cigarette) there are no buttons on his vest. The second picture is not from a depot list. It was in the Depot's magazine that was similiar to a newspaper, not a list of items produced there. The ad I photographed is from the October 20, 1944 issue. Not only does it prove that such an item was being produced, but that it was an issue item. The WR Shop seems to have been a sort of PX for the BAMs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1stDivVet Posted March 12, 2009 Share #55 Posted March 12, 2009 i dont have a pic of mine and it's still currently burried under the rack of uniforms that fell from the celing, but mine is AAF marked. Has a brass Conmar zipper and the brack AAF stencil on the left breast. No tags or markings. It was supposed to have come from a pacific aaf vet, around 44-45.. Only referance I've had(none usmc tho) was in sweeney's book. Fins.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share #56 Posted February 9, 2010 Here's one with a women's size tag: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bn1961 Posted October 27, 2010 Share #57 Posted October 27, 2010 I know this is an old thread but I just came across it. I wnat to add a pic of a vest that was on ebay a few years back. It fits well in here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted October 27, 2010 Author Share #58 Posted October 27, 2010 I know this is an old thread but I just came across it. I wnat to add a pic of a vest that was on ebay a few years back. It fits well in here. Wow - great customized version! Did you buy it then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Posted May 3, 2011 Share #59 Posted May 3, 2011 Hello, Interesting topic here with the vests. Here is what I believe may be a buttoned example of the alpaca vest. This is from my collection. Please share your thoughts. Best, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Posted May 3, 2011 Share #60 Posted May 3, 2011 The back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Posted May 3, 2011 Share #61 Posted May 3, 2011 Here's a close up of the liner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bn1961 Posted May 3, 2011 Share #62 Posted May 3, 2011 Wow - great customized version! Did you buy it then? Sorry to say I did not. I think it went for about $200? My top was $150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted April 2, 2012 Share #63 Posted April 2, 2012 Here are the photo's of my similar vest. It bears all signs of 'home-made' rather than factory production. Zipper is marked USA. Lower hips have two adjusting tabs. Fabric looks like M1941 Field Jacket fabric, lining resembles the lining of the winter overparka.... No history on this one, bought it in Belgium from another collector about 15 years ago.... While googling for 29ID info I came across this picture Allan H posted on WAF many years ago... It shows T4 Wellen from the 115IR/29ID during WW2.... Look at his vest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Andrews Posted April 2, 2012 Share #64 Posted April 2, 2012 While such vests were indeed in USAAF inventories and worn during WWII, as Post #6 said "everybody had them" (poetntially). I got one from a USMCR Frozen Chosin vet I worked with circa 1966, He said they came from tied-up bails thrown out of passing trucks, "just before the snow hit". They got USN/USMC parkas, long white sox, wool gloves, longjohns and other items the same way, I donated it to the USMC (Quantico) museum circa 190. I got it from either Jerry or Larry DeFrank (I forget which), brothers who joined the USMCR in Chicago in 1949. They were on active duty a grand total of four weeks before shipping out from Cal. to Korea. He said they got as much "useful orientation" aboard ship is they did back in Chicago OR in the two-week course at San Diego. No basic/boot camp and no summer camp experience, BTW, just OJT back home, activation and by train to California. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted October 25, 2013 Share #65 Posted October 25, 2013 Great thread on an unusual but apparently common piece of USMC gear. Semper Fi....Bobgee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebuddy Posted October 25, 2013 Share #66 Posted October 25, 2013 there does seem to be a few different variations on this item ,considering it was made by the same company??? what sort of money do these fetch ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share #67 Posted October 25, 2013 there does seem to be a few different variations on this item ,considering it was made by the same company??? what sort of money do these fetch ? The variations in the USMC vests are mostly in the labels: if you see one with buttons, for instance, that is not Marine. A few years back I was selling these for $40-60 and I checked worthpoint.com and found un-named ones selling for as low $25 and up to $75 and a couple with painted backs selling for over $125. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebuddy Posted October 25, 2013 Share #68 Posted October 25, 2013 Ok Bob thanks for the info !! LB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Dail Posted November 14, 2013 Share #69 Posted November 14, 2013 I found this Vest today and though it might be one of these. It has a Conmar brass zipper and the remains of a cheese cloth size tag label in the middle of the hanger loop. It also has a cut or tear in the upper center of the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen Dail Posted November 14, 2013 Share #70 Posted November 14, 2013 remanant of label Conmar zipperrip or cut in top Regards Allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted November 15, 2013 Author Share #71 Posted November 15, 2013 I found this Vest today and though it might be one of these. It has a Conmar brass zipper and the remains of a cheese cloth size tag label in the middle of the hanger loop. It also has a cut or tear in the upper center of the neck. That for sure is a USMC alpaca vest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bareknuckleboutique Posted April 30, 2015 Share #72 Posted April 30, 2015 Way late to the topic but i figured id share mine as well for future readers! This topic helped me out a lot with answering questions on this subject so hopefully it will continue to do so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share #73 Posted April 30, 2015 Way late to the topic but i figured id share mine as well for future readers! Nice example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bareknuckleboutique Posted April 30, 2015 Share #74 Posted April 30, 2015 Nice example. Thanks! This one is my wall hanger. I have aother one with nothing on it that i like to wear from time to time. Such a great, timeless vest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebuddy Posted June 24, 2018 Share #75 Posted June 24, 2018 TIMME supplied "wollen fabric" to the US Navy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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