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PHS (Public Health Service)


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US Victory Museum

Ensign (2nd Lt.)

 

A WWII Era named PHS (Public Health Service) Commissioned Corps

Service Dress Blue uniform. This is a private purchase tailored

uniform procured from the Slavin Uniform Co. (1968 East 6th Street,

and 423 Euclid Ave. Cleveland OH) for on Olive E. Wright (3761).

 

Without a mannequin or model, and with the poor lighting available

the photos don't do this uniform justice. The uniform is in mint

condition. It came without the right collar insignia; however, I

have seen numerous pairs on Ebay, so I'll be bidding on a set to

complete the coat. No hat was available, nor did it come with the

correct tie; the tie shown did come with the uniform, but normally

it would be worn with the dark blue WAVES/SPARS style tie.

 

If you want to see better quality photos and to educate yourselves

with regard to this service during WWII, then I recommend Katy's

web site (http://www.blitzkriegbaby.de). Choose the PHS icon, then

'III. PHS Uniforms' read that page and then choose '-service and

dress uniform.'

post-1529-1225741909.jpg

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US Victory Museum

The Gilt PHS Uniform button.

 

After trying numerous times to photograph the button

only to get a blurred image with excessive glare, I

decided to cover the flash port of the camera and snap

this picture. Good enough. One of these days I'll

get around to reading the manual and figure out the proper

way to turn off the flash, but I was in a rush...

 

LAST PICTURE IN POST.

 

Go to Katy's site. She's more adapt at taking pictures

than I.

 

Mike

US Victory Museum.

post-1529-1225742070.jpg

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  • 1 year later...
US Victory Museum

This is an addendum to my original posting of a woman's uniform of

the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service during WWII.

 

Those officers detailed to armed services wore the uniform of that

service adorned with PHS insignia and buttons.

 

e.g. Those officers assigned to the ground forces in the ETO, PTO,

CBI, or Middle East wore the standard WAC uniform, but with its

buttons replaced with PHS buttons, and the WAC coat insignia (Pallas

Athena) and hat insignia "walking buzzard" replaced with the PHS

counterparts.

 

PHS officers detailed to the Navy or Office of Naval Intelligence

wore the uniform of the commissioned corps.

 

This uniform would have been worn over a white dicky; the tie would

be identical to the dark blue ties of the Navy W.A.V.E.S. and Coast

Guard SPARS. A pair of black pumps (shoes) and a service beret, or

garrison cap bearing PHS insignia would complete the uniform.

 

----------------------------------------------------

So why the addendum? I posted the original string in November 2008.

Since then I had been actively seeking to replace the then missing right

side PHS pin with a correct WWII era right sided pin. It only took

a YEAR to find a correct and matching one. A whole year for one pin.

 

For every 20 to 30 pins I look over, only one will be WWII era. I'm

starting to suspect that the size of Public Health Service was small

during the second world war. Bear in mind these pins are identical

for males, as well as females. I would estimate that for every twenty

correct era pins I have seen, only one of them is right sided. These

pins are like USMC EGAs, they are mirrored, and for what ever reason

I cannot grasp, the right sided pins are about as rare as hen's teeth.

I never see these pins in matched sets, but only solitary and it's

always the left side pin.

 

Every time I chased down a lead, someone else bought it. On this

board from time to time there are discussions as to why someone might

over pay for some trivial item. I can tell you why - it's because

we get sick of waiting and are willing to grab the next available one

and won't be taking any prisoners in the process. I didn't over pay

for this particular pin which I won on Ebay ($20); but you had better

believe that I pounded in a maximum bid of $110.00 with 5 seconds to go

in the auction because I was going to win it no matter how absurd the

price.

 

During the past year this uniform was displayed with only ONE pin.

I'm sure that had I placed a modern pin on it until I could secure an

original, that nobody could have distinguished the difference; however,

Homie don't play that way. I don't use fillers, and I won't ever

knowingly display a reproduction or use an anachronistic artifact.

 

Msn

post-1529-1260817229.jpg

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Great Uniform and nice to see it "finished".

Were these insignia worn on an overseas style cap using the "left" hand insignia like the Marines did? That may explain why there are more lefts than rights.

BKW

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  • 6 years later...
  • 1 year later...

So why the addendum? I posted the original string in November 2008.

Since then I had been actively seeking to replace the then missing right

side PHS pin with a correct WWII era right sided pin. It only took

a YEAR to find a correct and matching one. A whole year for one pin.

 

For every 20 to 30 pins I look over, only one will be WWII era. I'm

starting to suspect that the size of Public Health Service was small

during the second world war. Bear in mind these pins are identical

for males, as well as females. I would estimate that for every twenty

correct era pins I have seen, only one of them is right sided. These

pins are like USMC EGAs, they are mirrored, and for what ever reason

I cannot grasp, the right sided pins are about as rare as hen's teeth.

I never see these pins in matched sets, but only solitary and it's

always the left side pin.

I believe the reason one pin is more common than the other is that men only wore one on their shirt collars, with a rank pin on the other. This would be the more common of the two USPHS pins, since there were likely more men in the USPHS Commissioned Corps. I believe only women wore two, hence the scarcity.

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