A.E.F. Service Coats

[littlewilly]

Close up of the standing collar and one of the pointed cuffs ... Photos courtesy of the Aurel Gobet collection

Could the collar be a repaired and reissued piece? I have one in my collection that had a new collar added that does not come close to matching the color of the rest of the uniform. MHJ

[jprostak]

Here are some documents from the Archive that may help understand the conversion of some coats to standing collars.

[jprostak]

And a few more

[jprostak]

Last of the pages from the Archives.

[McJagger]

I would imagine that few, if any, 1918 pattern service coats could have reached the front before the Armistice, but they are rarely to be seen in photographs throughout the occupation, and today finding one can be a challenge for collectors. While I realize that many of the changes between the 1917 and 1918 patterns were instituted for economic reasons whose necessity might have been lessened with the ending of the war, the results were also aesthetically very pleasing. So, I’m curious as to why we don’t see more of them... Was production really so low? Were the 1917 and 1918 pattern coats produced concurrently? When and why was production of the 1918 pattern discontinued? Thereafter, did production revert back to the 1917 pattern or was it replaced with something else? I’m interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

[AustinO]

For posterity and since I have a moment, here is an example of a cutter's tag and contract tag for a 1918 coat. No longer in my collection.

 

[world war I nerd]

Jon, many thanks for adding the documents explaining the standing collars on the pointed cuff service coats. Somehow, I missed that post until now. You've single-handedly solved another WW I era mystery.

 

ATB, great images of the tags and label from a 1918 service coat.