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world war I nerd
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world war I nerd

More early National Guardsmen - this time from the state of Rhode Island. This image probably dates somewhere between 1911 and 1914-ish.

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world war I nerd

A really cool shot of Navy personnel wearing coffee dyed whites in Vera Cruz, Mexico in 1914.

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Close up of the coffee colored whites … Note the Red Cross brassard worn by the sailor on the right. It would be nice to know if the men are wearing Navy or Army issued cartridge belts and equipment.

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world war I nerd

A stateside recruit wearing a medical man's equipment (1916 Enlisted Man's Medical Belt & 1912 Ration Bags). By the way, his collar disc is medical. The image was probably taken in 1918.

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world war I nerd

An undated dated press photo showing a U.S. Marine wearing the P1912 Khaki Cotton Summer Service Dress. However, he looks to be wearing a 1907 (or earlier) cartridge belt and he appears to have a haversack suspended from it.

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Can anybody ID the insignia placed below the EG&A device on this Marine's cover?

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world war I nerd

This postcard photo taken in France was inscribed "Our motor squad, June 1918". I can see at least four different styles of goggles worn by these military motorcyclists.

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world war I nerd

This is not the most interesting of images, but it does show a rarely seen (in photos) AEF garment. By the way these Doughboys were part of an 83rd Division artillery regiment.

 

Anyway, the right hand man in the shiny jacket is wearing the upper half of an oilskin suit, which when complete was comprised of an oilskin hat, a pair of oilskin trousers, and an oilskin coat. Even though it may look like this man's wearing shiny oilskin trousers, he's not. He is actually wearing thigh-high rubber boots or "trench waders".

 

Tens of thousands of these oilskin suits were shipped to the AEF in France, but I've yet to discover exactly what they were used for, or to whom they were issued.

 

So far I've seen a pair of oilskin trousers worn by an Air Service Mechanic, and two different photos of artillerymen wearing oilskin coats and now this - a butcher or cook wearing the oilskin coat. I also came across a diary entry written by a 2nd Division artilleryman who claimed that they had to wear oilskin suits, oilskin gloves and their gasmasks while firing gas shells in July of 1918.

 

Based on the above, it would appear that oilskin clothing was worn to protect soldiers of a certain military occupation from either oil, grease (aviation mechanic) - blood or greasy animal fat (butcher) or poisonous gas (artillerymen).

 

 

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A closer look at the man wearing the oilskin coat.

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world war I nerd

Another press photo of a much published image depicting men of the Signal Corps wearing French Tissot gas masks. These masks were deemed to be both more comfortable to wear and more efficient than the U.S. issued small box respirators. However, because the face pieces were made from entirely from gum-rubber that was cemented together, they were also deemed to be too fragile for use in combat. Nevertheless, this style of mask was issued to certain AEF troops that had to remain active, or who could not take shelter in a dugout, during a gas attack - like these Signal Corps men who had to relay firing coordinates during the gas attack to a nearby artillery battery in attempt to destroy or stop the source from which the gas attack was launched.

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world war I nerd

Finally a couple of AEF hospital photos. I'm currently trying to piece together what sort of clothing (slippers, robes, pajamas, gowns, etc.) was issued to the patients' of AEF hospitals, and what was worn by the men and women who treated them.

 

These patients have been brought outside for some fresh air.

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world war I nerd

A good shot of hospital robes and slippers as worn by patients in a 3rd Army hospital.

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A closer look at the nurse and some of the robes.

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world war I nerd

Love the photos og guys wearing the Adrian helmets.

 

The less than full-length photos are just as informative. I think I made a mistake by labeling this topic as "Full-Length". I have a number of great photos that are not all the way full-length that I haven't posted because of the topic's title!

 

But for the record … IT'S A-OK TO POST LESS THAN FULL-LENGTH PHOTOS TO THIS THREAD ...

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Nurse Margret GillespieNurse Margret Gillespie

 

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Nurse Margaret Gillespie wearing her uniform in 1967

 

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Nurse Margaret Gillespie wearing her uniform in 1985

 

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Beast … thanks. You're right, the Marine's secondary cap insignia is the numeral two (in double vision though).

 

 

No problem. I 'm not wearing my glasses so the image looked clear to me! :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is Henry Escher who had an interesting career. He first served with Troop G, 1st Cavalry in 1898 and then continued on with his service through WWI. On the back of the phot, he has written with which units he has served.

 

He passed away in 1927.

 

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Back of the card listing his service

 

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Close up of his medals

 

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Charlie Flick

These may be Regulars of the Infantry somewhere in Mexico during the Punitive Expedition in Mexico, 1916. The semi-permanent, timber & adobe huts with canvas roofs were erected at strategic points along the supply lines of the expedition from Columbus, New Mexico, deep into the heart of Mexican bandit country.

Nerd:

 

Great stuff. Don't know how I missed your thread before now.

 

A comment on this one at Post #123, if you don't mind. I agree that this is likely a Border era photo. However, these men appear to me to not be Infantry but, rather, Cavalrymen or perhaps artillerymen. They are wearing spurs, have the 9-pocket M1910 Mounted belt and 3 of the 4 are clearly carrying M1911 pistols in M1912 and M1916 holsters with the necessary mag pouches.

 

Regards,

Charlie

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Charlie Flick

I have enjoyed this thread so much I have felt compelled to offer my own contribution.

 

I have always liked this image. These guys are Texas National Guardsmen on the Border around 1916. A very eclectic bunch as no two are dressed identically. The weapons are M1903 Springfield Rifles with a few Colt Double Action .38 revolvers with pocketed pistol cartridge belts. There is also what appears to be a Colt Single Action Army in a non-regulation open top holster on the second man from the left.

 

Charlie

 

Colt DA Holsters TX National Guardsmen on Border.JPG

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world war I nerd

Erick & Charlie, thanks for adding pic from your collections. It's great to see what kind of "jim-dandy" images others have!

 

Now I'll add a few more of my own, hopefully the new addition will also measure up to the high jim-dandy bar that mike korea set. Thanks for the compliment Mike.

 

I have a number of photos showing troops in the barracks during this time period. This one, of an Indiana National Guard trooper around 1910 is interesting because of the shoe line-up beneath his bunk.

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Beginning in 1905 or 1906, every Army recruit was issued with five different types of shoes … one pair for marching or field duty - one pair for garrison duty - one pair for the dress uniform - one pair for off-duty wear in the barracks - and one pair of athletic or "gym" shoes.

 

Including the pair he's wearing on his feet, this guy has seven pairs of shoes! Of them, the only pair I can recognize with any certainty are the two buckle winter overshoes, on the left under the bed. Two of the other pairs are likely a pair of black dress shoes and a pair of russet garrison shoes, both of which had lacing hooks above the lacing eyelets at that time. The regulation marching shoes, barracks shoes and gymnasium shoes are not present in this line up, so it's anybody's guess as to what the remaining shoes are.

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world war I nerd

A press photo depicting recruits inside the barracks at an "Aviation Training Post" in July of 1917. Note the mosquito netting and the fact that each man has two footlockers at the foot of his bunk.

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