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A.E.F. Gloves, Gauntlets & Mittens 1917 to 1919


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The AEF’s recommendation for a heavy leather mitten wasn’t immediately acted upon by the War Department. This was because that body had just been informed that the available machinery in every American textile mill in early 1917 were incapable of manufacturing the seamless woolen gloves in sufficient quantity. Since the War Department had to provide gloves for the AEF, as well as for the entire U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps serving in the contiguous 48 states and elsewhere, the Quartermaster Corps was instructed to deal with the AEF’s leather mitten after it had come up with a suitable replacement glove for all of America’s military personnel. One that could be cheaply and easily manufactured using whatever textile equipment that American mills had at their disposal at that time.

 

Stateside, olive drab woolen gloves were authorized for “winter wear” or “when prescribed” by the commanding officer.

In the AEF, each enlisted man, regardless of his branch of service, was authorized to have one pair of woolen gloves. Whether those woolen gloves would be in possession of the soldier at all times or stored in his barracks bag until needed was subject to the whims of General Headquarters, AEF or the commanding officer of each soldier’s organization.

 

Nevertheless, olive drab woolen gloves were frequently seen being worn by artillerymen, machine gunners and other Doughboys who handled ordnance and heavy equipment instead of the 1905 Yellow Horsehide Glove – 1913 Riding Glove – 1918 Heavy Leather Glove or 1918 Leather Mitten, all of which were prescribed for selected AEF personnel and organizations. For example, in an AEF Infantry Regiment whose personnel at full strength numbered 3,805 men (106 officers and 3,699 enlisted men), 3,699 pairs of Olive Drab Woolen Gloves were prescribed (250 pairs to each of the twelve Rifle Companies – 315 pairs to HQ Company – 164 pairs to Supply Company – 172 pairs to MG Company, and 48 pairs to the Medical Detachment. In contrast, only 480 enlisted men were authorized to wear 1905 Yellow, Horsehide Gloves (58 pairs to HQ Company – 164 pairs to Supply Company – 172 pairs to MG Company, and 6 pairs to the Medical Detachment).

 

Photo No. 26: The hue of this machine gunners woolen glove with a very short ribbed cuff, still at a stateside training camp, is significantly lighter than that of his olive drab service dress. With the exception of being white in color, the 1906 White Woolen Gloves were nearly identical to the 1909 and 1914 pattern Olive Drab Woolen Gloves. Although there is no period documentation to indicate this was done, the shorter ribbed cuff and light color suggest that the obsolete white woolen gloves may have been pressed into service, like so many other obsolescent military garments that dated as far back as the Spanish American War, during the winter of 1917-1918 when both the U.S. Army and the AEF were in desperate need of warm winter clothing.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Replacement A.E.F. Gloves – Winter, 1917-1918

  • Canvas Gauntlet, Specification No. 1303, adopted on February 21, 1918.
  • Leather Palmed, Canton Flannel Glove, Specification No. 1304, adopted on February 21, 1918.
  • Heavy Leather Glove, Specification No. 1305, adopted on February 21, 1918.

 

The matter of manufacturing an olive drab glove for America’s soldiers that could keep pace with the escalating size of the nation’s army was addressed by the Quartermaster Corps early in 1918. It began by abolishing the 1916 Olive Drab Woolen Glove as an article of issue.* Then it adopted a leather reinforced glove, as well as a leather reinforced over-gauntlet as replacements for the presentable, but not so durable seamless olive drab woolen glove in February of 1918. A third hand covering in the form of a “Heavy leather Glove”, whose purpose is not entirely clear, was also adopted:

 

*Despite being discontinued, based on period photographs, the 1916 Olive Drab Woolen Glove appear to have been worn all the way through to the Occupation of Germany in 1919.

 

The Army’s 1918, late-winter collection of hand coverings was described as follows in the previously mentioned AEF clothing evaluation:

A canton-flannel* glove and a canvas gauntlet both having leather lined palms, were adopted with a view to furnishing a hand covering that would be warm and at the same time being resistant to wear. The glove and the gauntlet were made of brown canton-flannel, weighing 9 to 10 ounces to the square yard; they were lined by a cotton jersey cloth** of a similar weight, and the palm and thumb of each were faced with split leather.*** For the glove there was a wristlet of knitted tubing; whereas the gauntlet had a stiff flaring cuff with a wristlet inside. The hand part of the gauntlet differed from that of the glove in that it was cut on a one-finger-mitten pattern. There was but one size for both the glove and the mitten: the measurement of the hand part being 8 inches from the top of the middle finger to the wrist and 4 ½ inches across the palm above the thumb.

 

The United States Medical Department in the World War, Vol. VI, Sanitation, 1926, page 640

 

*Canton flannel is a soft woven cotton fabric with a fleece like nap, typically only on one side.

 

**Cotton jersey cloth is a knit fabric made from cotton fiber. Because the fabric was knitted rather than woven, it had the ability to stretch, unlike regular cotton. The name “Jersey” stems from the English Channel Island, of the same name, on which that type of fabric was first produced.

 

***Split leather is when a thick hide is split into multiple thinner layers. For example, it’s possible to split a 3mm thick hide into two or even three thin hides that are each approximately 1 to 1.5 mm in thickness. The thinner hides can then be made into more delicate articles such as gloves.

 

Since Quartermaster Corps specifications for both the Canvas Gauntlet and the Canton Flannel Glove have yet to be found, the exact nature of their overall appearance remains unclear. Thus the above description, which is sketchy at best and problematical at worst, is all that we have to go on.

 

The description is questionable because the text clearly stated that both garments “were made of brown-canton flannel.” That assertion appears to have been an error made by the original author of the report, as the gauntlet was presumably made from canvas as its name, along with period photographs seem to imply.

 

The 1918 Canton Flannel Glove

Specification No. 1304, adopted on February 21, 1918

In service from

February 1918 to April of 1918 or until supplies were exhausted

 

At present, all that is known in regard to the appearance of the 1918 Canton Flannel Glove is that:

  • It was constructed from brown canton flannel that weighed from 9 to 10 ounce to the square yard.
  • It was lined with a similar weight of cotton jersey cloth whose color was not specified.
  • It had a wristlet made from knit tubing whose color was also not specified.
  • Its palm and thumb were faced with split leather.
  • It was available only in one size which measured 8 inches from the tip of the middle finger to the edge of the wrist.

If any forum member or visitor owns a pair of the leather faced canton flannel gloves please post photographs of both the front and back sides.

 

Photo No. 27: This Doughboy standing amidst a group of III Corps engineers and mechanics is believed to be wearing a pair of the leather palmed, brown canton flannel gloves with a knit wristlet. The hand attached to the arm belonging to the engineer’s right hand neighbor, looks to be sheathed in a later pattern olive drab, knit cotton or woolen glove.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 28: The commercially made, leather faced, canton flannel glove with a knit cuff (top row, second from left) depicted in this April 1919, ad closely mirrors the glove worn by the Doughboy in the previous photo, which is presumed to be the military version of the leather faced, canton flannel glove that was adopted in February of 1918.

 

Right hand photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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The 1918 Canvas Gauntlet

Specification No. 1303, adopted on February 21, 1918

In service from

February 1918 to April of 1918 or until supplies were exhausted

 

Likewise, very little is known about the appearance of the Canvas Gauntlet. What we do know is that:

  • It presumably had an outer shell made from an unspecified weight and color of canvas. Period photographs suggest that the canvas was tan or khaki in color.
  • It was lined with an unknown color of cotton jersey fabric that weighed approximately 9 to 10 ounces per square yard.
  • Its palm and thumb were faced with split leather.
  • It had a stiff flaring cuff with a knit wristlet inside.
  • Additional information in the section titled AEF Gloves, spring 1918, shown below, stated that the Canvas Gauntlet also had a wrist strap.
  • It was cut on a one finger mitten pattern.
  • It too was available only in one size that measured 8 inches from the tip of the middle finger to the edge of the wrist. This measurement appears to have excluded the cuff or gauntlet portion of the glove.

If any forum member or visitor owns a pair of the Canvas Gauntlets please post photographs of both the front and back sides.

 

Photo No. 29: Two variations of canvas gauntlets are worn by this squad of riflemen from the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Division. The fifth man from the right (bottom row) is wearing an unusual pair of canvas gauntlets without a separate trigger finger, while the far right hand soldier (bottom row) has donned a pair of canvas gauntlets with the requisite separate trigger finger.

 

Photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 30: This close up clearly shows the 1918 Canvas Gauntlets as described in the 1918 AEF clothing report, with a separate thumb and trigger finger.

 

Photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 31: This Doughboy’s canvas gauntlet does not have the separate trigger finger. Based on the mitten’s fingerless cut, it’s possible, but not confirmed that they could be a pair of 1912 Duck Mittens, Specification No. 1171 (Alaskan Clothing), adopted on November 7, 1912.

 

According to the specifications, the body of the 1912 Canvas Mitten was comprised of five pieces of cotton duck fabric that was dyed to “the color shown in the standard sample”. Its parts were made up of two “backs” (identically shaped front and back pieces), two 1 ½ inch wide “bands” (identically shaped front and back wristband pieces), and one “thumb piece”. The bands were faced on the inner side with smooth, grain finish sheepskin to support the fastener. The mitten’s thumb was a single continuous piece from the tip of the thumb down to the edge of the wrist. A brown cord approximately 6 inches in length was fixed onto the thumb side of the inner wrist. That cord secured the mitten around the wrist when it was pulled taut and wound around the spring button stud located on the opposing side of the wrist. Depending on the size, the Canvas Mitten varied between 9 ¾ and 10 ¼ inches in length.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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The 1918 Heavy Leather Glove

Specification No. 1305, adopted on February 21, 1918

In service from

February 1918 presumably to 1919 or until supplies were exhausted

 

Because of the 1916 Olive Drab Woolen Glove’s propensity to prematurely wear out, the Heavy Leather Glove was likely adopted to be worn in its place when manual labor was performed. It is also quite possible that the adoption of the Heavy Leather Glove may have cancelled the Army’s need for the 1905 Yellow Horsehide Glove.

 

At the time of writing the Quartermaster Corps specifications for the 1918 Heavy Leather Glove were unavailable. In addition, no description of this article could be found in any period publications to which I had access. I have however, encountered several wartime photos depicting Doughboys wearing an identical and unidentified style of leather glove that is presumed to have been an article of equipment issued by either the United States Army or by the AEF.

 

Photo No. 32: The leather gloves shown here, part of a WW I grouping, were initially thought to be non-regulation or commercially made gloves that were procured outside of the AEF’s supply channels. However, based on photographic evidence, there is a very good possibility that these gloves are in fact, the 1918 Heavy Leather Glove.

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Photo No. 33: All three of these men from the 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division are wearing an identical style of leather glove that closely match the appearance of the glove in photo No. 32. Note the snap fastener and short strap, as well as the three welts surrounded by stitching on the back of the hand, all of which end at the point where the wrist band begins.

 

Photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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The design of the glove seen in those photographs does not match the specifications for either the 1905 Yellow Horsehide Glove or the 1913 Riding Glove. Therefore, I speculate that the gloves worn in the accompanying photographs are the 1918 Heavy Leather Glove. Based on the apparent duties of the soldiers wearing the leather glove in question, and if that glove, is in fact the Heavy Leather Glove, then the 1918 Heavy Leather Glove appears to have been issued to AEF troops whose duties included hard physical labor, such as construction, stringing barbed wire, and the loading or unloading of heavy wooden crates, and or shells on a regular basis … This theory of course, has yet to be validated or proven false.

 

Photo No. 34: These close ups of what are presumed to be the 1918 Heavy leather Glove have been cropped from the previous photo.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 35: Another pair of Doughboys, a member of the Motor Transport Corps (left) and an aero squadron mechanic (right), wearing what are thought to be 1918 Heavy Leather Gloves.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 36: Closer views of the alleged 1918 Heavy Leather Gloves that are worn in the above photograph. Note that the darker and lighter shades of leather used on the right hand glove are nearly identical to the right hand glove shown in Photo No. 32.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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The 1918 Canton Flannel Glove &

Canvas Gauntlet in Service

 

Upon receipt of the new hand coverings General Headquarters, AEF informed the War Department that they did not answer the purpose for which they were intended. GHQ further explained that the AEF required an over-glove and an outer-mitten or gauntlet which permitted a woolen glove to be worn underneath. Since the recently adopted canton flannel glove and canvas gauntlet were incapable of fitting over a woolen glove, both were presumably abolished as an article of issue and replaced by new hand coverings approximately one month later.

 

Replacement A.E.F. Gloves – Spring, 1918

On April 11, 1918, the AEF finally got its long awaited “leather mitten, with a separate place for the forefinger”.

The 1918 Leather Mitten

Specification No. 1319, adopted on April 11, 1918

In service from

April 1918 presumably to1919 or until supplies were exhausted

 

The absence of Quartermaster Corps specifications for the 1918 Leather Mitten prevents us from knowing any of the particulars in respect to its construction and appearance. Thus far, this is what is known:

  • The mitten was developed to be worn over a regulation woolen glove.
  • The mitten was cut on a one finger mitten pattern and constructed from horsehide.
  • The mitten’s hand portion was lined with either fleece or canton flannel.
  • The mitten had a stiff flaring cuff without a wrist strap.

Photo No. 37: Here newly issued fleece or flannel lined horsehide gauntlets are worn by men at a stateside training camp. Note that both of these recruits also wear 1908 Winter Field Caps back to front in order to give the impression that they have donned overseas caps. The War Department had banned that particular head covering from being worn in the United States.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 38: Front and back of a 1918 Leather Mitten bearing a contract stamp dated December 1917. The contract date, which actually predated the adoption of the 1918 Leather Mitten by approximately two months, did not indicate that the mittens were fabricated in 1917. It does however, inform us that the contract awarded in 1917 was amended or diverted early in 1918 to include the manufacture of the recently adopted 1918 Leather Mittens.

 

Photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

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Photo No. 39: At left is an interior view of a 1918 Leather Mitten. Just below the gauntlet, the glove portion is lined with a gray shade of either canton flannel or fleece. AEF motorcyclists and chauffeurs were authorized to wear a wide variety of foul and cold weather clothing as part of their equipment. Included were such things as half-hip rubber boots, oilskin trousers and coats, leather jerkins and mackinaws, as well as Winter Gauntlets and 1918 Leather Mittens. The pair of AEF truck drivers (right) are decked out in three of the above mentioned chauffeur’s garments … half-hip boots, leather jerkins and leather mittens.

 

Left hand photo courtesy of the Baker502 collection

Right hand photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 40: Allowing for the various manufacturing procedures, most 1918 Leather Mittens were remarkably similar. Nevertheless, depicted here are three distinct variations of the 1918 Leather Mitten, as well as one curiosity.

  • The Leather Mitten at left, named to a soldier in the 303rd Heavy Tank Battalion, is more or less identical to the other examples, except for the half-moon shaped patch sewn below the wrist seam on the palm side of the mitten. The purpose of this patch, which also appears on other period leather gloves, is unknown. Does anyone know the purpose of the half-moon shaped patch?
  • The center-left mitten was arguably, the most commonly issued variation of the 1918 Leather Mitten.
  • The center-right mitten’s leather hand is roughly the same as its neighbors to the left. The flared gauntlet however, is noticeably shorter, and the cuff’s outer facing appears to have been made from olive drab woolen material instead of animal hide. Both the shortening and the change in material to the cuff likely occurred during the last half of 1918 when the availability of leather was becoming increasingly scarce.
  • The gauntleted Leather Mitten on the right with an elasticized wrist and ornamental welts on the back of the hand, but without a separate trigger finger, is most unusual. The ornamental stitching suggests that this mitten may have been commercially made, possibly for an aviator.

 

Left hand photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

Center-left photo courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

Center-right & right hand photos courtesy of Bay State Militaria.com

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Photo No. 41: Three American Doughboys in France wearing the ubiquitous 1918 Leather Mitten.

 

Left & right photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 42: Each 1918 Leather Mitten featured a contract stamp located on its inner cuff. At left is the December 1917 dated stamp found on the leather mitten in Photo No. 38. The stamp features an illegible manufacturer’s name, a contract date of “12-24-17”, and what looks to be “S.F. Depot”, for San Francisco Depot. It’s difficult to be certain, but the right hand stamp, which was found on the center-left glove in Photo No. 40, appears to read: “UTTMER BROS, CONTRACT (number illegible), MAR or MAY 31 1918, (size) 9,” followed by NEW YORK DEPOT and an illegible inspector’s stamp. The center image shows a Leather Mitten clad enlisted man of an AEF Aero Squadron sorting through the contents of an AEF salvage pile.

 

Right & left photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

Center photo courtesy of the Chuck Thomas collection

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The 1918 Leather Mittens in Service

 

Being both durable and warm, the 1918 Leather Mitten appears to have been popular with Doughboys from all arms of the service as it shows up in numerous period photographs being worn by both officers and enlisted men throughout 1918 and during the occupation of Germany in 1919.

 

Additional A.E.F. Replacement Gloves – Spring, 1918

 

In order to fulfill the request made by GHQ, AEF, on April 15, 1918, barely three weeks after the jersey lined, Canton Flannel Glove and Canvas Gauntlet had been adopted; the Quartermaster Corps issued new specifications for the following garments:

  • Leather Palmed, Canton Flannel Mitten: Specification 1325, adopted on April 15, 1918
  • Jersey Knit Glove: Specification No. 1326, adopted on April 15, 1918

In order to swiftly meet the AEF’s requirements for hand coverings, the Quartermaster Corps adopted an entirely new olive drab glove, and replaced the Canvas Gauntlet with a one finger mitten. Once again, the AEF clothing report provides the only available description of the 1918 spring collection of AEF gloves and mittens:

 

The canton-flannel glove with the palm and thumb leather facing was discarded for a glove of a similar style, but wider in the palm to permit it being worn over a woolen glove, and having a cuff cut without a flare and a wrist strap.* The canvas gauntlet with leather palm was likewise discarded for a one-finger canton-flannel mitten that had a cuff without flare, and a wrist strap. Because these newly adopted articles of hand covering were intended for wear over woolen gloves, the jersey lining, which the patterns they superseded had, no longer was used.

 

Reference has been made above to the fact that the olive-drab woolen glove was discontinued as an article of issue in February, 1918. To furnish a separate, nicer glove for the canton-flannel glove and the mitten, adopted in April 1918, a knit fabric glove was adopted for the purpose. This knit glove was made of cotton jersey cloth, olive drab in color, weighing 9 to 10 ounces per square yard. The wristlets were made of knit-tubing of a good quality yarn, measuring 11 to 12 yards to the pound. The hand part of the glove was cut on a one finger glove pattern, measuring 7 ½ inches from the end of the second finger to the wrist.

 

The United States Medical Department in the World War, Vol. VI, Sanitation, 1926, page 640

 

*Once again, it appears as if the text of the AEF report may be in error. It is doubtful that the 1918 Canton Flannel Glove had a stiff flaring cuff and wrist strap as stated above. When that glove was initially described in an earlier paragraph of the very same document, the text claimed:

 

“... for the glove there was a wristlet of knitted tubing; whereas the gauntlet had a stiff flaring cuff ...”

 

It is more likely that the early canton flannel glove featured a soft flexible cuff made of knit tubing, and that the Canvas Gauntlet, which was to be worn over the glove, had the stiff flaring cuff and wrist strap. However, without an actual example of either hand covering, it is difficult to know for sure whether or not if the glove had a soft knit wristlet or a stiff flared cuff.

 

The 1918 Canton Flannel Mitten

Specification No. 1325, adopted on April 15, 1918

In service from

April 1918 to ? or until supplies were exhausted

 

At present, only the following is known about the appearance of the 1918 Canton Flannel Mitten:

  • It was cut on a one finger mitten pattern that was made wide across the palm to accommodate the wearing of a woolen glove underneath.
  • It was made from an unspecified color of canton flannel which weighed between 9 and 10 ounces per square yard.
  • A woolen glove was intended to be worn beneath the mitten, therefore it was unlined.
  • The palm and thumb of the mitten were reinforced with split leather

Photo No. 43: Two examples of the 1918 Canton Flannel Mitten with leather faced palms and thumbs. The drastic difference in color between the two mittens may be the result of different lighting conditions during photography, or they may in fact have been dramatically different in color.

 

Can anyone post better photos of the front and back of the 1918 Canton Flannel Mittens?

 

Left hand & center right photos courtesy of Advance Guard Militaria.com

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The 1918 Jersey Knit Glove

Specification No. 1326, adopted on April 15, 1918

In service from

April 1918 to June of 1918 or until supplies were exhausted

 

Despite the absence of the specifications for the 1918 Jersey Knit Glove, the following information was compiled from a variety of other period sources.

 

The glove that replaced the 1916 Olive Drab Woolen Glove was neither woven on a loom nor was it made from woolen yarn. It was instead sewn from an olive drab cotton jersey material, similar to that of an undershirt that had been mechanically knitted by a machine. The jersey cotton glove was comprised of four parts: two identical hand shaped pieces, minus the thumb, were cut from the slightly stretchy cotton material and sewn together, to which a thumb piece made from the same material was then attached. A cuff, made from knit tubing, completed the glove.

 

The finished article had a noticeable seam around its entire outer edge, and where the thumb piece was attached. In addition, there was a less visible seam where the wrist piece was joined to the hand. The glove was manufactured in a single size. The hand portion, from the tip of the middle finger to the wrist, excluding the cuff, measured 7 ½ inches. To provide additional warmth, the overall length of the glove (from fingertips to cuff) was made longer than that of the 1916 pattern glove by roughly 3 ½ inches. This would make the 1918 Jersey Knit Glove approximately 15 inches in length.

 

Photo No. 44: Front and back views of a 1918 Jersey Knit Glove. Note the seam along its outer edge and around the thumb piece in the upper photo. The seam where the knit cuff attaches to the hand is just visible in the lower image. It’s also possible to make out the sewn seams on the outer edges of the fingertips. To my knowledge there were no tags or markings present on the 1918 Jersey Knit Gloves.

 

Photos courtesy of the Dr Rambow collection

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Photo No. 45: At approximately fifteen inches in length, the 1918 Jersey Knit Glove was the longest of the four regulation olive drab gloves issued to the men and boys of the AEF. Because of its excessive length, when worn, the cuff of the 1918 Jersey Knit Glove was frequently turned down. Note the irregular and pointed shape of the glove’s fingertips.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 46: Both of the olive drab gloves visible in this photograph appear to be 1918 Jersey Knit Gloves. The left hand glove is worn as it was intended – with the sewn seams to the inside. The captain to the right however, has opted to wear his Jersey Knit Gloves inside-out, or with the raised, sewn seams turned towards the outside.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 47: The sewn seams of the 1918 Jersey Knit Glove turned smooth side out (left) and turned rough side out (right).

 

Upper right & left photos courtesy of the Dr_Rambow collection

Lower photo courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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Photo No. 48: Distinguished Service Cross awardee Seng Kee, the standard bearer for the 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division, is wearing a pair of 1918 Jersey Knit Gloves. One trait of the cotton jersey knit gloves was that the fingers of the glove had a tendency to be long, thin and spidery in appearance. When compared to the glove worn by the soldier next to him, the gangly and somewhat rubbery shape of the fingers made from the jersey knit material is evident.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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The 1918 Jersey Knit Glove &

Canton Flannel Mitten in Service

 

The fit and quality of the sewn Jersey Knit Glove was poor in comparison to that of the woven 1916 Woolen Glove. In actual service the wartime, seamed glove did not stand up to the hard usage required of it on the Western Front. Within two months of its adoption, it was discovered that the 1918 Jersey Knit Glove was prone to splitting at the seams. The sewn glove’s deficiencies were such that the Quartermaster Corps adopted and issued yet another specification for olive drab woolen gloves in the summer of 1918.

 

Photo No. 49: This “junk on the bunk” display shows the government issued property of Jens O. Paulson of the Tank Corps. It also shows that he was issued a pair of sewn 1918 Jersey Knit Gloves, which are identified by the faint seam where the knit cuff was joined to the hand. The upper right hand corner also reveals that Private Paulson had a pair of home knit wristlets in his possession along with a home knit sleeveless sweater, and what is probably a knit toque or “knit helmet” as the hand crafted woolen caps were then called.

 

Photos courtesy of the John Adam-Graf collection

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The fate of the Canton Flannel Mitten has yet to be discovered. It was in all likelihood replaced by the 1918 Leather Mitten, which was superior in all aspects, shortly after its adoption.

 

Replacement A.E.F. Gloves – Summer, 1918

 

By mid-1918, Army planners had forecast that the war would not end until mid to late 1919. At the same time senior Army supply officials were concerned about the tremendous amount of woolen clothing that the one hundred divisions, which were predicted to be in Europe by the following year, would require. Therefore, in the summer of 1918, the War Department began to tighten its belt in regard to how much raw wool was being consumed by the United States Army and by the AEF. To accomplish this task, beginning in May, General Orders announced that non-commissioned-officers chevrons would only be worn on the right hand sleeve instead of both sleeves. In addition, plans were put in place to redesign certain articles of the enlisted men’s service dress with an eye towards conserving wool. The War Department also endeavored to devise production methods that would both cheapen the cost, and expedite the manufacture of military garments of all types. The 1918 Olive Drab Woolen Glove was just one of many late war, “economy” pattern garments that were issued to the American Doughboys who served “Over There” in the summer and autumn of 1918.

 

1918 Olive Drab Woolen Glove

(Woven)

Specification No. 1342, adopted in June of 1918

In service from

June 1918 to November of 1918 or until supplies were exhausted

 

The sewn Jersey Knit Glove was replaced by a new style of olive drab glove that according to the 1918 AEF clothing report was “seamed”. However, every example of late-war woolen glove that I’ve encountered, which is admittedly only four pairs, have been seamless with the exception of the cuff’s edge, which was turned under and sewn. The absence of seams would suggest that the woolen glove adopted in the summer of 1918, was in fact, knit or woven, rather than sewn. Nevertheless, the replacement glove was made ambidextrous, and from a lower grade of wool.

 

The ambidextrous glove differed from all earlier glove patterns in that it was designed to fit on both the right and left hand. The glove’s hand, thumb and wrist were, on the examples I’ve handled, woven into a single seamless garment. Therefore, except for the hemmed cuff, the glove had no visible seams. The seamless, woven 1918 Olive Drab Woolen Glove differed from the U.S. Army’s other “seamless, woven glove- the earlier, machine woven, 1916 Olive Drab Woolen Glove, by having a relatively smooth un-ribbed cuff.

 

Photo No. 50: Front and back views of the 1918 Olive Drab Woolen glove, without any visible seams.

 

Photos courtesy of the Rogier van de Hoef collection

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