My dads friends dad served in WWII. My dads friend received a couple of things from his friend that his dad brought back in WWII. From my understanding, he was on The U.S.S. Arizona during Pearl Harbor and his name got put on the death list by accident, but he really survived the attack. The items i got were a small bullet, I' am not sure what gun it is for, the markings that i can read on it are "A" and "C", i think my dads friend said that he had it with him on the ship, but i' am not sure. Then i got three spoons marked U.S.N., mess hall spoons. If i understood right, he took these off of the U.S.S. Arizona, from the mess hall.
I' am not 100% sure but i looked online at the death list and i found a name with the last name "gill" and i' am pretty sure that's who it was, because my dads friend's last name is Gill.
So if i' am correct his name was GILL, Richard Eugene and he was on the Arizona, survived, but got his name but on the death list by mistake.
Full Version: Items from the U.S.S. Arizona
I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but I believe those utensils are much newer than 1941.
I have a collection of USN forks and spoons, some older and some newer. In the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, there are several utensils on display that actually came off the Arizona. I have an identical set in my collection (mine did not come from the Arizona). They are silver, have a slightly different handle, and the typeface is a serif style.
I do think these shown are much newer, but it is also possible that I'm wrong. For example, the enlisted mess would use much cheaper utensils than the officer's mess. So, perhaps these are from an enlisted mess and the ones on display and in my collection were officer's.
My gut feeling is that these are newer. Perhaps someone else can help shed some light.
I have a collection of USN forks and spoons, some older and some newer. In the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, there are several utensils on display that actually came off the Arizona. I have an identical set in my collection (mine did not come from the Arizona). They are silver, have a slightly different handle, and the typeface is a serif style.
I do think these shown are much newer, but it is also possible that I'm wrong. For example, the enlisted mess would use much cheaper utensils than the officer's mess. So, perhaps these are from an enlisted mess and the ones on display and in my collection were officer's.
My gut feeling is that these are newer. Perhaps someone else can help shed some light.
QUOTE(fortworthgal @ Nov 5 2009, 08:24 AM) 
I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but I believe those utensils are much newer than 1941.
I have a collection of USN forks and spoons, some older and some newer. In the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, there are several utensils on display that actually came off the Arizona. I have an identical set in my collection (mine did not come from the Arizona). They are silver, have a slightly different handle, and the typeface is a serif style.
I do think these shown are much newer, but it is also possible that I'm wrong. For example, the enlisted mess would use much cheaper utensils than the officer's mess. So, perhaps these are from an enlisted mess and the ones on display and in my collection were officer's.
My gut feeling is that these are newer. Perhaps someone else can help shed some light.
I have a collection of USN forks and spoons, some older and some newer. In the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, there are several utensils on display that actually came off the Arizona. I have an identical set in my collection (mine did not come from the Arizona). They are silver, have a slightly different handle, and the typeface is a serif style.
I do think these shown are much newer, but it is also possible that I'm wrong. For example, the enlisted mess would use much cheaper utensils than the officer's mess. So, perhaps these are from an enlisted mess and the ones on display and in my collection were officer's.
My gut feeling is that these are newer. Perhaps someone else can help shed some light.
Like i said. I don't know if i' am getting the correct information either. I don't have any proof that those exact ones came off the Arizona. He could have gotten them later or something, I' am just posting what i heard. But i do know that he was on the Arizona and that the bullet was with him in 1941, pearl harbor.
I don't know his rank either, he maybe could have been an officer, i don't know
QUOTE(MattStone @ Nov 5 2009, 12:17 PM)
Like i said. I don't know if i' am getting the correct information either. I don't have any proof that those exact ones came off the Arizona. He could have gotten them later or something, I' am just posting what i heard. But i do know that he was on the Arizona and that the bullet was with him in 1941, pearl harbor.
I don't know his rank either, he maybe could have been an officer, i don't know
The spoons are standard enlisted stainless steel mess decks spoons. Millions of these have been stamped out over the last 100 or so years. Could they have come from the Arizona? Sure, they could have come from the Olympia or the Ronald Reagon too. But, they are for the Enlisted Mess, they have nothing to do with officers Officers use real silver.I don't know his rank either, he maybe could have been an officer, i don't know
Steve Hesson
QUOTE(MattStone @ Nov 5 2009, 07:32 AM)
My dads friends dad served in WWII. My dads friend received a couple of things from his friend that his dad brought back in WWII. From my understanding, he was on The U.S.S. Arizona during Pearl Harbor and his name got put on the death list by accident, but he really survived the attack. The items i got were a small bullet, I' am not sure what gun it is for, the markings that i can read on it are "A" and "C", i think my dads friend said that he had it with him on the ship, but i' am not sure. Then i got three spoons marked U.S.N., mess hall spoons. If i understood right, he took these off of the U.S.S. Arizona, from the mess hall.
I' am not 100% sure but i looked online at the death list and i found a name with the last name "gill" and i' am pretty sure that's who it was, because my dads friend's last name is Gill.
So if i' am correct his name was GILL, Richard Eugene and he was on the Arizona, survived, but got his name but on the death list by mistake.
I' am not 100% sure but i looked online at the death list and i found a name with the last name "gill" and i' am pretty sure that's who it was, because my dads friend's last name is Gill.
So if i' am correct his name was GILL, Richard Eugene and he was on the Arizona, survived, but got his name but on the death list by mistake.
My mistake, on all of this.
my dad talked to his friend today and he said that his name was LEO CRIS GILL and he was on the U.S.S. Arizona, the U.S.S. Lexington and another ship during the Cora Sea battle. he was put on the Missing in Action list during Pearl Harbor, he survived the attack and got off the Arizona but was not found so they put MIA. That's all the information i have right now.
QUOTE(fortworthgal @ Nov 5 2009, 08:24 AM)
I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but I believe those utensils are much newer than 1941.
I have a collection of USN forks and spoons, some older and some newer. In the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, there are several utensils on display that actually came off the Arizona. I have an identical set in my collection (mine did not come from the Arizona). They are silver, have a slightly different handle, and the typeface is a serif style.
I do think these shown are much newer, but it is also possible that I'm wrong. For example, the enlisted mess would use much cheaper utensils than the officer's mess. So, perhaps these are from an enlisted mess and the ones on display and in my collection were officer's.
My gut feeling is that these are newer. Perhaps someone else can help shed some light.
I have a collection of USN forks and spoons, some older and some newer. In the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas, there are several utensils on display that actually came off the Arizona. I have an identical set in my collection (mine did not come from the Arizona). They are silver, have a slightly different handle, and the typeface is a serif style.
I do think these shown are much newer, but it is also possible that I'm wrong. For example, the enlisted mess would use much cheaper utensils than the officer's mess. So, perhaps these are from an enlisted mess and the ones on display and in my collection were officer's.
My gut feeling is that these are newer. Perhaps someone else can help shed some light.
I have not been able to find an exact match yet, but the "bullet" looks very much like a non-firing bullet for a toy pistol or derringer. Appears to be made of pot metal and given an "antiqued" finish.
QUOTE(siege1863 @ Nov 11 2009, 10:51 AM)
I have not been able to find an exact match yet, but the "bullet" looks very much like a non-firing bullet for a toy pistol or derringer. Appears to be made of pot metal and given an "antiqued" finish.
I don't think it could be that new. My das friend found it in his dads things that were in a box for many years
Some of the toy guns I am talking about date from the 1930s thru the 1950s.
Yeah I'm going to second the whole toy gun theory. Before Collecting militaria I had a short stint in collecting toy guns and cap guns. This is definately a toy bullet to a toy gun from anywhere through the 1930s-1950's. On a positive note they are a little on the harder side to find because they were lost so frequently.
You seem like a young new collecor. We all were at one point in time. The best information that can be offered is here in this form. I have learned a lot by listening to others, reading thousands of posts, and taking advice as I come across it. The most popular bit of advice from this forum is " Buy the Item, Not the story" WHen I was a young collector, someone could have told me that the long johns I was buying were worn by Gen. Macarthur and I would have believed them and paid more for them. thats what happens when you start collecing at 10 years old. lol.
You seem like a young new collecor. We all were at one point in time. The best information that can be offered is here in this form. I have learned a lot by listening to others, reading thousands of posts, and taking advice as I come across it. The most popular bit of advice from this forum is " Buy the Item, Not the story" WHen I was a young collector, someone could have told me that the long johns I was buying were worn by Gen. Macarthur and I would have believed them and paid more for them. thats what happens when you start collecing at 10 years old. lol.
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