AWESOME WW2 GENERAL STAFF BADGE

[501stGeronimo]

Picked this up off of fleabay, came from the breakup grouping of Major General Geoffrey Keyes. Sadly the rest was broken up by the time I got home to bid on this badge. The back shows that it appears to have been made to sew onto a uniform. Measures 2.25 inches. Im excited to get this in the mail!

 

 

[gunbunnyB/3/75FA]

its a shame that groupings like that have to get broken up, but at least its going to a good home.

[GIl Sanow]

If it is that large, it is not for a uniform -- it was made for an officer's chevrac (saddle blanket)! Nice score.

 

G

[lovmilinsig]

Congrats on your very nice badge !!!

 

Ed

[roadrunner]

Hello

 

A very interesting item.

 

At Emerson's HP you find following information about chevracs.

http://emersoninsignia.net/files/Download/20Chevracs.pdf

 

information about LG Keyes

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Keyes

 

HAVE A NICE DAY

Michael

[12A54]

Chevracs. Never heard of these things. Thanks for posting this - always learning something new on this forum!

[Patchcollector]

Very cool and unusual.I like it!

[roadrunner]

I found a picture at the Library of Congress shows Major General Hugh L. Scott

Chief of Staff

Date 1915

 

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/hec2008003099/

 

It is the first time I see a General Staff chevrac "in action".

 

Other versions of the General Staff chevracs are shown in the pictures from my collection at #37 and #39

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/203953-general-staff-collar-insignia/page-2

 

Michael

 

.

[roadrunner]

detail

 

.

[Ranger-1972]

What's interesting about this photo is that MG Scott is wearing the M1902 full-dress uniform for mounted officers, M1902 officer's saber, and the M1912 hat (with the wider crown), but he is wearing the M1872 version of a general officer's sword belt -- with the long strap from the center of the back of the belt and a short strap on the left side.

 

Along with the M1902 uniform & saber was the M1902 sword belt -- which had a long & a short strap (fastened side by side) -- worn on the left hip.

 

As a general officer, Scott was able to design his own uniform. First time I've seen the M1872 belt worn with a M1902 uniform.

 

Also, this is a great closeup of the full-dress sword knot for general officers -- which is distinctly different from the sword knot for all other officers.

 

Seems he has the field version of the saddle cloth, rather than the dress version -- even though he is wearing his full-dress uniform. The stars and the General Staff chevrac appear to be in a subdued finish, rather than bright silver for the stars and colored enamel for the GS insignia (as shown in the example at the top of this post).

 

I would guess that this photo was taken on Ft Myer, VA, near Quarters #1 (General Leonard Wood was the first Army Chief of Staff to live there, beginning in 1910. Every Army Chief of Staff since then has lived there.) MG Scott lived there from 1914-1917.

 

Interestingly, MG Scott personally negotiated the end of the Bluff War in Utah (March 1915), one of the last fights with native Americans involving the US Army.