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What WW1 Division memorabilia do you collect and why?


blackhawkdown
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blackhawkdown

I assume quit a few WW1 collectors tend to specialize in a certain division or regiment? Do you collect that way? Care to share which ones you like and why? I tend to favor the 89th. I live in the Midwest near St. Louis and there was a great number of men from my county in the 89th division. Most were in the 354th regiment. I have been trying to focus my collecting in this area. I found my first 89th item, a yard long 354th company D photo hanging in a neighbors garage when I was about 12. I really was not supposed to be poking around in the old tumble down garage, anyway I asked the old man who owned it I could have it and he gave it to me. I proudly showed it to my dad and he started pointing out men he knew in the photo including my great uncle.

Interestingly there was a Medal of Honor recipient in company D Arthur J. Forrest. I believe he is in this photo section of the yard long. I put a small mark on the glass over the photo of him. I find it interesting to study the faces and expressions of the men in these yard long photos.

post-2370-0-39128700-1445138488.jpeg

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When I started collecting I just bought random named groupings, but since then I've narrowed it down to mostly 91st Division Memorabilia. The reason for this is because of where I live, Montana. Many members of the 91st came from the western states, so it's mostly "close to home."

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Too Much WW1 Militaria

AEF doctors/medics, Army/Navy aviation, and African American AEF, and VD cases of all things! LOL Have sold a lot of the rest off, my collection is big enough as it is. Getting to the point were what I'm looking for is either so rare, or non-existent.

 

John

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Back in the day I would buy anything WW1 if the price was right. Now I look only for what units my relatives served in:

 

Grandfather, 119th Field Artillery, 32nd Division.

 

Grandfather, Company C, 17th BN, US Guards.

 

Great Uncle, 106th Infantry, 27th Division (SS/PH).

 

Except for the dog tags I have from my grandfather who was in the 119th FA, I have nothing from my other relatives.

 

Dan

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I collect photographs and ephemera related to the armored cruiser U.S.S. Seattle, the ship my grandfather served on during World War 1. Just to give you an idea of the extent of my collection, I have 93 real photo postcards of the Seattle and her crew. In addition I have letters written by sailors that served on the ship, copies of crew newspapers, passes, matchbook covers, and much, much more.

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I collect 28th Infantry Division and some other Pennsylvania related things.

 

I've been looking for items related to Medical Evacuation Hospital Baltimore. That is where my Great-Grandfather served.

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26th Division - I am originally from Western Massachusetts - This was the hometown unit.

 

2nd Division - 4th Brigade USMC

 

Bill

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I'm always looking for any documents or memorabilia for the 30th Field Artillery Regiment of the 10th Division in 1918-1919 at Camp Funston, KS. Also, the 15th Field Artillery regiment, 2nd Division WWI, and the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1917 thru today.

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I collect AEF Tank Corps material, specializing in 301st Tank Bn. and combat veterans' materials.

 

In addition, I am an avid photo collector and like the normal range of stuff: Full gear shots, painted helmets, DSC photos, Women auxiliaries, etc.

 

Finally, an odd area: Minnesotans who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

 

Treat 'em Rough!

 

JAG

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32nd division. I have done many displays for the division reunions and they welcomed me with open arms. Even though I have not one since they moved them all to Wisconsin I still have a soft spot for them.

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29th Division for me, NJ NG units constituted several of the new organizations formed with the division. I have managed to find a fair amount of local material relating to that division, which is also nice!

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Yankee Division. Since I focus on New England area items, it makes it somewhat easier to focus on 26th Division stuff when it pops up since there's usually a good chance the vet was from around here.

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For me it's the 89th Inf as well. When I was little back in the 70's my grandfather had some old helmets in his basement (USN vet WWII). One of these helmets was a WWI helmet with the rolling W on it. I did not know anything about it back then but I wore it when I played Army.

 

After he passed away in 1978 my grandmother gave me the helmets along with his Ka-Bar that he used for hunting. It was not till years later that I really got the collecting bug.

 

The helmet was ID'd to Alexander Selewoncuk of the 89th Inf 305HQ. I did find his name in L Co. of the 89th and also in HQ Co. of the 89th Inf Div. 353rd Inf Regt.

 

Going through Ancestry.com I found out that Alexander had worked at the Great Northern Railroad at the same time my grandfather did and they only lived blocks from each other. So my best guess would be that they knew each other and he gave the helmet to my grandfather.

 

The second part that got me into collecting the 89th was in 1988 a friend of mine knew I was really into WWI and gave me an 89th patched coat. From that point on it was all 89th Inf.

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My collection is branch focused. I collect uniforms and materials related to Quartermaster and Commissary Corps soldiers/NCOs/officers from this era. I'm up to at least a dozen or so uniforms from various divisions and other specific positions related to the Service of Supply and the Advanced Sector line.

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I collect local (Minnesota), but lately have been focusing more on New York as I've found the 27th and 77th Divisions to be quite easy to research online.

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Like AustinO, I collect local but for Indiana. I have a deep interest in the American Ambulance Service units that were raised here, but I also have an interest in the 150th FA along with the Indiana National Guard.

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Like others have said, 32nd as it was a huge part of the Michigan National Guard. Many of the units I served in trace their lineage to 32nd units and their combat record is second to none as well. Scott

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  • 5 months later...
Jayhawker353

Really neat to have ID'd an MoH on the 89th yardlong. I started an interest in 89th while researching my great grandfather, a member of D, 353rd, 89th.

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332nd IR/83rd Div. Their post-war experiences are of particular interest, especially the 2nd Battalion, which went to Yugoslavia. Also other Americans in Italy.

 

mccooper

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The American Air Service during WWI.

The Army only saw fit to teach me to jump from a plane. So, naturally, I want to learn about actually staying with a perfectly good plane...

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