Philippine Made Belt Buckles

[PhilippineBuckles]

Hi Ryan,

 

I think it's possible that this US Army Air Corp buckle for Herbert W. Lawrence was made in the Philippines. The style and technique is similar but then again it's not exactly the same. Some websites say that the 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy) served from the South Pacific at the start of WWII before eventually ending up in India. However, the following official Air Force History doesn't confirm that the air echelon actually flew out of the Philippines. It does say that the ground echelon was on its way to the Philippines but was diverted to Java after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. So maybe the buckle was made in Java or India. It's the only buckle I've seen like it so far which makes it a mystery buckle until more examples of a similarly manufactured buckle turn up or until Herbert Lawrence's war record itself helps narrow down the time period when this was made.

"The group was on its way to the Philippines when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941. The ground echelon, on board ship, was diverted to Australia and later sent to Java. Six of the group’s B-17’s, which had left the US on 6 Dec, reached Hawaii during the enemy attack but were able to land safely. Later in Dec the remainder of the air echelon flew B-17’s from the US to Java. From 14 Jan to I Mar 1942, during the Japanese drive through the Philippines and Nether- lands East Indies, the group operated from Java, being awarded a DUC for its action against enemy aircraft, ground installa- tions, warships, and transports. Moved to India in Mar 1942 and as- signed to Tenth AF. Resumed combat with B-17’s and LB-30’s; converted to B-24’s late in 1942. Operations were di- rected primarily against the Japanese in Burma, with attacks on airfields, fuel and supply dumps, locomotive works, railways, bridges, docks, warehouses, shipping, and other targets. Also bombed oil refineries and railways in Thailand, hit power plants in China, attacked enemy shipping in the Andaman Sea, and ferried gasoline over the Hump to China. Received second DUC for damaging the enemy’s line of supply in southeast Asia with an attack against rail lines and bridges in Thailand on 19 Mar 1945. Returned to the US in Dec 1945. lnactivated on 6 Jan 1946." p43-44 from "AIR FORCE COMBAT UNITS OF WORLD WAR II" https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf

 

Here are a list of stations listed in the cited document above...
Ft Douglas, Utah, 7 Sep 1940 - 13 Nov 1941

Brisbane, Australia, 22 Dec 1941 - Feb 1942

Karachi, India, 12 Mar 1942

Dum-Dum, India, 30 May 1942

Ka- rachi, India, 9 Sep 1942

Pandaveswar, India, 12 Dec 1942

Kurmitola, India, 17 Jan 1944

Pandaveswar, India, 6 Oct 1944

Tezpur, India, 7 Jun 1945

Dudhkundi, India, 31 Oct - 7 Dec 1945

Camp Kilmer, NJ, 5-6 Jan 1946

Ft Worth AAFld, Tex, I Oct 1946 - 16 Jun 1952

 

Any experts or others who want to speculate on this buckle?

 

Here another theater made mystery buckle but this one I don't think was made in the Philippines. It's for the 7th Calvary which was stationed in Australia before being sent to New Guinea in January of 1944.

 

[vforvictory1945]

Here's a better pic.

[PhilippineBuckles]

Here is a neat -- but no longer politically correct -- civilian clothes liberty buckle. Everything's bigger in Texas. The buckle is something like 5" x 4".

Lone Star Beer And Big Tit Women

No Place But Texas

[mds308]

There was Dallas, from Phoenix. Cleveland, he was from Detroit. And Tex was, well, I don't remember where Tex come from.

[PhilippineBuckles]

MDS308's quote is from the 194 movie Forrest Gump -- I admit to having had to Google search where the quote came from.

 

The more I think about this buckle, I think this sailor or marine was probably a little homesick (even it he was just trying to be funny). Imagine being in the Philippines --San Miguel beer aplenty -- and lamenting about what one is missing back home in Texas.

 

[PhilippineBuckles]

Oops - I meant to say 1994 not 194.

 

Fun facts:

 

"MANILA – (UPDATED) Filipino women have the smallest natural breasts in the world, according to a study published in the Journal of Female Health Sciences.

The study compared the mean breast volume and cup size of nearly 400,000 women aged 28 to 30 years old from 108 countries.

 

It found that women from the United States have the largest cup size compared to females from other nations, while Filipinas have the smallest.

 

It added: “A typical Caucasian woman born in the USA has a breast volume of 1,668 ml and the highest quartile of Caucasian US women has a mean breast volume as high as 2,986 ml. In the Philippines, the mean breast volume is only 111 ml and even the highest quartile of Filipino women has a mean breast volume of only 179 ml.”

https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/07/07/16/study-ph-women-have-smallest-breasts-in-the-world (2016)

 

The original scientific article can be read in detail at https://www.sciencedatabaseonline.org/ADB1/Scientific%20Article%20JOFHS.pdf

 

So one might argue that the person who had this buckle made was actually very perceptive.

[vforvictory1945]

Does anyone know the origins of these USS belt buckles? All pictures come from the Worthpoint archives. I'm not sure if they are Navajo artisan made and what era but they are really cool. I'd love to find one to wear. Thanks, Ryan

[vforvictory1945]

My mistake as I didn't read the Ebay listing info on Worthpoint very well. The buckles above are Navajo Silversmith made using Indian War USS hat insignia.

 

Scout Buckle Here are two great collectibles in one... An Indian War-era U.S.S. hat insignia from the U.S. Indian Scouts is mounted to a sterling-front belt buckle made be the well-known B-K Silversmiths of Phoenix, Arizona. The buckle is sterling silver in front and nickel silver on the back

 

Pretty cool buckles. I was thinking these were theater made but this info puts that idea to rest.

[PhilippineBuckles]

Happy New Year 2020! Here is a great looking Fort Mills PI buckle for Ralph H. Keller from 1941.

[vforvictory1945]

Nice Ebay score!

[PhilippineBuckles]

Post 1 of 4: The following four posts are to show an engraved WWI Meat Can Mess Kit being used at Fort Mills in 1942. I don't collect engraved mess kits but this one is neat in that it is dated after Pearl Harbor and all four panels are engraved This recently sold on ebay. In retrospect, I wish I would have bid more for it although my wife was happy it found a home somewhere else Congrats to whoever acquired it! . Bottom of Pan: 1942 59th CAC BTRY C Fort Mills PI Ralph D. Swiger, Clarksburg W. Va. Station C

 

Post 2 of 4: Inside of Pan -- In Memory of Mother (The engraving looks like similar to what one might get as a tattoo.)

 

Post 3 of 4: Top of Lid -- Ralph D. Swiger, Clarksburg, West Virginia, 59th CAC Btry C (engraved over initials R.D.S.)

 

 

Post 4 of 4: Female Warrior "Philippines"

[vforvictory1945]

One I picked up on Ebay a week or so ago. I really like Seabees buckles and the top slider is pretty unique. It reminds me of that Cubi Point dozer Seabees buckle another forum member posted last year.

 

Here are a few more DC Swofford pics. I was only able to find a late Vietnam era Cruise Book online. My best guess is he served from the early 50's - early 70's in the USN as a Seabee. I'm thinking the buckle dates back to the mid 50's.

[Salvage Sailor]

One I picked up on Ebay a week or so ago. I really like Seabees buckles and the top slider is pretty unique. It reminds me of that Cubi Point dozer Seabees buckle another forum member posted last year.

 

Beautiful PI SEABEE buckle, you can be certain that he wore this proudly with his greens.

[easterneagle87]

I know y'all were watching this one on ebay. Pretty sweet who ever got it.

[PhilippineBuckles]

@vforvictory1945 -- It's cool that you found info and pictures on Dwight Swofford. Thanks for sharing.

 

@easterneagle87 -- I was the winner of the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Airborne 1965-1970 buckle. Apologies if you were runner up. I don't like spending as much as I did but that's how it goes. Note the the engraver forgot to engrave the period after the S in U.S. This is the first dated 1970 buckle in my collection.

BTW - I just finished reading "From Here To Eternity" by James Jones. Great book!!! I wish I h ad read it years ago. Although the story takes place in Hawaii in 1941, there are a number of mentions of the PI, but no mention of engraved belt buckles.

[PhilippineBuckles]

Someone had a TDE .44 Auto Mag engraved...

 

This is the gun that Clint Eastwood used in the 1983 Movie Dirty Harry: Sudden Impact

[vforvictory1945]

Here's one I recently picked up on Ebay. My guess is the guy may have been a Longhorn Cattle Rancher back in Oregon and was and Anti-Aircraft Army guy post WWII. Any help identifying the insignia on the left or the cattle brands would be cool. For me, this is the first Philippines made belt buckle I've seen with western motif on it.

[Salvage Sailor]

Here's one I recently picked up on Ebay. My guess is the guy may have been a Longhorn Cattle Rancher back in Oregon and was and Anti-Aircraft Army guy post WWII. Any help identifying the insignia on the left or the cattle brands would be cool. For me, this is the first Philippines made belt buckle I've seen with western motif on it.

 

The short lived US Army Forces Western Pacific was established June 7, 1945, with HQ at Manila.

 

The United States Army Forces, Western Pacific was established on 7 June 1945, with Headquarters at Manila, Philippine Islands, with the mission of providing a unified command and administration, training and support of American forces in the Western Pacific area, units originaly placed under the control of the Western Pacific Headquarters included Army Service Commands I,C, and O (Formerly South Pacific Base Command), 14th Anti Aircraft Command, Military Police Command, Replacement Command, Engineer Construction Command, and the Contruction Corps of the Philipines. On 15 October 1945, the area controlled by the Headquarters was extended to include the territory under the control of 10th Army, (mostly in the Ryukyus), and 20 days later all elements of the Philippine Army assigned to U.S. Army Forces Pacific were assigned to the Western Pacific Headquarters. On 1 January 1947, the Headquarters was redesignated as the Philippine-Ryukyus Command and moved it's Headquarters the following year to Fort McKinley in Luzon. The shoulder Patch worn by U.S. Army Forces, Western Pacific was approved on 25 August 1945 and the basic design is taken from the shoulder patch worn by the Army Service Forces, The five stars represent the Southern Cross suggestive of the area where the Command was first operational, and the Yellow flash signifies the prompt accomplishment of all missions.

 

The patch ceased to be worn when the unit was redesignated as the Phililppine-Ryukyus Command in 1947.

[vforvictory1945]

@salvage sailor - Thanks for the insignia id and history on the US Army Forces Western Pacific. It's much appreciated!

[vforvictory1945]

Here's a cool M43 jacket with some nice WWII or late 1940's Philippines art. The United States Army Forces Western Pacific patch is shown here like on the last belt buckle posted. This jacket is owned by a European collector (nice piece!).

[easterneagle87]

Met up with a picker friend and fellow collector at the Sacramento Antique St Fair yesterday. He had picked up this buckle and I finally was able to bring it home.

 

Aviation Boatswain's Mate

 

A nice addition to the "pile". Although I'm gathering a few of these, I always forget how small they are.

[vforvictory1945]

If anyone on the USMF owns this buckle I'd really like to see a better picture(s). These pics came from Worthpoint. The Anti-Aircraft Gun design is really unique. Thanks, Ryan

[vforvictory1945]

This buckle is pretty interesting. It came up on a random search using Sangley Point keywords.

[Wharfmaster]

Two more.

[vforvictory1945]

Whafmaster - You have a really nice collection with really clean buckles. These two are great!