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WW1 Overseas Chevrons


cwnorma
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GENERAL ORDERS GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, A. E. F.

No. 110 France, July 7, 1918

 

I. The following information and instructions with reference to the War Service Chevrons and Wound Chevrons are published for the guidance of all concerned:

1. A gold chevron of standard material and design to be worn on the lower half of the left sleeve of all uniform coat, except fatigue coats, by each officer, field clerk and enlisted man who has served six months in a theater of operations during the present war, as an officer, field clerk or enlisted man of the Armies of the United States, and an additional gold chevron for each six months of similar service thereafter.

2. A sky blue cloth chevron of the same pattern and worn in the same manner as the gold chevron, by each officer, field clerk and enlisted man who has served under theconditions prescribed for the gold chevron, but has left the theater of operations prior to the completion of six months’ service therein. Should a person subsequently return to the theater of operations for duty therein, the blue cloth chevron will be replaced by the gold chevron upon the completion of a total of six months of service in the theater of operations, after which only gold chevrons will be worn to indicate war service. The right to wear war service chevrons is limited to those officers, field clerks and enlisted men whose official duty requires their presence in a theater of operations, as distinguished from those who may visit such a theater without having been ordered thereto for duty. The term “theater of operations” is as defined in Field Service Regulations, 19 14, as corrected to April 15, 1918. (The term “theater of operations” includes all territory within which the Commander in Chief of the A. E. F. exercises command.)

3. War Service Chevrons of the same material and design, and similarly placed, will be worn on the overcoat or waist of their prescribed uniform by all other uniformed personnel of the authorized military establishment. They will be worn under the same conditions as prescribed for officers, field clerks and enlisted men.

4. For the purpose of computing time for these chevrons, service will be counted from the day an officer or enlisted man leaves an American seaport for the “theater of operations” until he returns to an American seaport. Service with the American Expeditionary Forces only is to be counted.

5. Company and other unit commanders will determine according to Pars. 1 to 4 of this order what officers and men are entitled to wear the War Service Chevron, and so announce in orders from time to time.

6. Any individual officer or enlisted man not provided for in Par. 2 of this order, may forward to these headquarters, through military channels, a request for permission to wear the War Service Chevron, stating details as to service. In no case with the chevron be worn without explicit authority having been given by the proper commander.

7. A gold chevron of pattern identical with that of the War Service Chevron, to be worn on the lower half of the right sleeve of all uniform coats, except fatigue coats, by each officer, field clerk and enlisted men who has received or who may hereafter receive a wound in action with the enemy, or as the result of an act of the enemy which necessitates treatment by a medical officer, and an additional chevron for each additional wound: but not more than one chevron will be worn for two or more wounds received at the same time. Disablement by gas, necessitating treatment by a medical officer shall be considered to be a wound within the meaning of this order. Wound chevrons of the same material and design, and similarly placed, will be worn on the coat, overcoat or waist of the prescribed uniform by all other uniformed personnel of the authorized military establishment. They will be worn under the same conditions as prescribed for officers, field clerks and enlisted men.

8. Authority to determine the right of any person to wear the Wound Chevron shall rest, in the first instance, with regimental, separate battalion or similar unit commander under whose orders the person was serving at the time the wound was received, who will base his decision in this respect upon the information contained in the casualty reports prescribed in Par. 8 (Sub-Pars. a, b. and c of G. 0. No. 40, c. s., these headquarters). Such commanding officer will from time to time publish in orders a list of the men of his command who have earned the right to wear the wound chevron, giving name, rank and organization of the person and the date and place of the action with the enemy. Two copies of such orders will be forwarded, through military channels, to the Central Records Office, A. G. D., A. E. F., and an extract copy furnished to each person concerned.

9. The decision, with regard to officers and men not provided for in the preceding paragraph will be made at these headquarters.

10. Requests for authority to wear the Wound Chevron on account of wounds received prior to the present war will be forwarded, with all available evidence, to The Adjutant General of the Army, for verification through War Department records and appropriate action.

11. The right to wear the Wound Chevron shall be limited to those who are authorized in writing to do so, as noted in the three preceding paragraphs, or who have already been so authorized by letter from the War Department or these headquarters.

12. Wound and gold War Service Chevrons are identical. Specifications: V-shaped bar gold lace, arms two inches long and one-fourth inch wide. Angle between arms same as lance corporal chevrons. Blue cloth War Chevrons conform to the above specifications except as to material. Wound and War Service Chevron will be worn point down on outer half of sleeve, the point of lower chevron to be one inch above cuff braid in case of officers, and four inches from edge of sleeve in case of enlisted men. Additional chevrons will be placed one-fourth inch apart. On officers’ coats bearing looped knot insignia of rank on sleeve the chevron will be superimposed upon such insignia with point of lower chevron one inch below lower angle of knot.

13. Wound and War Service Chevrons will be issued to enlisted men and sold to officers of the A. E. F. in identically the same manner as are other articles of uniform. No lists of persons for whom intended are required.

14. The wearing of unauthorized Wound or War Service Chevrons by any member of the A. E. F. constitutes a serious military offense, and in all such cases the offender shall be brought to trial before the proper military court, or otherwise submitted to disciplinary measures, as the circumstances of the case may require.

15. The expression “all other uniformed personnel of the authorized military establishment” as used herein includes Army Field Clerks, Field Clerks Quartermaster Corps, and members of the Army Nurse Corps only, who will wear the War Service Chevrons upon the same conditions as officers and enlisted men.

16. All orders of the A. E. F. in conflict herewith are revoked.

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  • 2 months later...

This is a great reference on WWI service stripes. I can't believe I missed this the first time around. Thanks for posting, Chris!

 

By the way, if someone has some examples please feel free to post them! :)

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