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World War One Weekly Wing #21 - E.A. Armstrong of Chicago, IL


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World War One

Weekly Wing #21

Maker: E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. Chicago, IL

Background

One of the most challenging aspects of collecting World War One era wings is determining what companies manufactured bullion examples.  While there were numerous companies, large and small throughout the Northeast and Midwest known to be involved in bullion work, most did not mark their small work in any way or on the rare occasion they did it was generally only on paper labels or packaging and long lost to history.  It is a great rarity then in WW1 wing collecting when an embroidered badge can be definitively identified to a specific manufacturer and thereby regionally associated with various Air Service training airfields.

At the turn of the last century, the firm of E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co., taking up an entire block on South Wabash Avenue in Chicago, was one of the Midwest’s prominent society goods and uniform makers.  Armstrong competed in the market with firms such as Jacob Reed and Sons, William H Horstmann, M. C. Lilley, and other manufacturers providing society goods to organizations such as Grand Army of the Republic, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Knights of Columbus, etc.  Additionally, many Midwestern railroads, Chicago-area bands and luxury hotels also purchased uniforms and regalia from Armstrong.  An internet search on the company typically reveals many examples of society-type swords manufactured by Armstrong.  Apparently quite prolific in the regalia trade, Armstrong also appears to have consistently sold military goods however, based on surviving examples, that segment of production does not appear to have made up the greater proportion of their business.  This is most likely due to the relatively small number of large military installations nearby.  All that changed in WW1.

As the nation was expanding its military to fight in WW1 Several enormous National Army cantonments were built in Illinois and the Great Lakes Naval Training Station was vastly expanded.  Also in the spring of 1917, the Aviation Section of the Army Signal Corps stood up several training Airfields in the Midwest; Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois, Scott Field in Belleville, Illinois, and Selfridge Field in Detroit Michigan.  All of these airfields became hosts to 8-week courses of basic flight training.  By the onset of winter, it became clear to the Army that southern fields would have longer periods of consistent weather for initial flight training and by December 1917, initial flight training was moved south to fields such as Kelly Field in San Antonio.  Northern tier bases remained open for specialty training during the summer months and when weather permitted flying.

Associated Airfields:  Chanute Field Rantoul IL,  Scott Field, Belleville, IL and Selfridge Field, Detroit, MI

159822427_JPEGimage-2E1CCF59147C-1.jpeg.0077498264453b31124964462c584d1c.jpeg

 

Description

Manufacture. Finely made by E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Company of Chicago, Illinois.  Distinctive but generally similar to other American-made two tier shoulder wings.  Each wing is characterized by a first row of feathers picked out individually in silver bullion, surmounted by a two-tier shoulder of individual feathers constructed with rachis of faceted bullion and vane contrasting smooth bullion. Armstrong’s bullion workers separated each first row feather by a line of fine black thread.

The shield is highly flared.  The chief contains 13 small neatly spaced "stars," executed in an x-configuration, affixed atop a field of horizontal rows of bullion.  The field  portion consists of vertical stripes made from two contrasting types of bullion. The chief and field portion are separated both by bullion wire coil and thin black thread.

The top three quarters of each wing and shield perimeter are bordered by coiled bullion wire.  Both wings and shield are very highly padded.

Finally, Armstrong executed the US as gold bullion coils configured in a two-strand twisted helix with no apparent serifs or periods.

Mountings.  This badge is mounted on a crescent-shaped metal back plate with a slight depression at the middle top above the shield.  A simple catch and pin back are affixed to the back plate and the entire rear of the badge is covered by lapped background cloth sewn fast.  Finally, a woven label bearing Armstrong’s trade mark is affixed to the rear between the pin and catch.

Armstrong's building still stands and today is a youth hostel.  E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Co. does not seem to have survived the Great Depression.

Any other E. A. Armstrong wings out there in the collections?  Other maker marked bullion wings?  I'd love to see them!

Chris

 

 

 

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I don't have much to add to this thread.  I would love to have one of these marked bullion wings.

 

 

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This is another stunning badge and it's so rare to find a bullion wing with that type of maker mark on it.  Especially one sewn on.  What a beauty.  I'm really loving these weekly WW1 wing posts.  A bright spot in this dumpster fire of a year.

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  • 2 years later...

The E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Company was established on September 20, 1894 and was owned entirely by key employees of The M. C. Lilley & Company.  Anytime you see 'MFG' or 'Manufacturing' in the company name it is an item from this company which was owned and operated as a sister company to Lilley.  The 'original' Armstrong company which operated in Detroit from 1871 - 1892 then Chicago from 1892 - 1894 went bankrupt in July 1894 and used the following company names:  E. A. Armstrong, E. A. Armstrong & Co, and The E. A. Armstrong Company.

 

The Henderson-Ames Company (Kalamazoo, MI) took advantage of the demise of The E. A. Armstrong Company by acquiring the assets (inventory, tooling, equipment, and fixtures) of the bankrupt Armstrong company for $80,000 and moved them to the H-A factory in Kalamazoo.  The M. C. Lilley & Company took advantage by starting a new company in Chicago with a remarkably similar name and hired key former Armstrong employees, including Edwin A. Armstrong.  Edwin had no ownership in The E. A. Armstrong Manufacturing Company.

 

Even though The E. A. Armstrong Mfg Co was owned by Lilley they had their own manufacturing operations in Chicago and operated as a separate company.  They maintained and used their own stamping dies which produced military insignia and they had their own sewing department that did bullion work.  The E A A Mfg Co wasn't officially dissolved until 1935.  In April 1919 the number of shares in the company was reduced to 5 and the capital stock was reduced from $60,000 to $500.  For this reason, I use April 1919 as the date that Armstrong was absorbed into Lilley and no longer manufactured anything in Chicago.  The E A A Mfg Co tooling and assets were moved to Lilley's factory in Columbus, OH.  In 1932 Lilley merged with The Henderson-Ames Company forming The Lilley-Ames Company. When Henderson-Ames assets were moved to Columbus in 1933 some of the original Armstrong assets (pre 1894) were included. Lilley was acquired by The C. E. Ward Company (New London, OH) in 1951 and some of the tooling and assets from all these companies still exist today.

 

I don't have any WWI era trade catalogs from E A A Mfg Co in my collection.  Attached is a page from a 1905 E A A Mfg Co catalog for Military Uniforms and Equipment.

E A Armstrong Mfg Co - Military Uniforms and Equipments for Officers of the Army - Catalog No 15 - Heath White.jpg

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rathbonemuseum.com

Fantastic history! What a convoluted path. Never an easy business with its boom and bust cycles.

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Heath,

 

The tremendously important information you have on these companies never ceases to amaze and truly adds to the depth of these posts--Thank you!

 

Chris

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  • 4 months later...

Here is a new wing in the nest to add to this discussion:

 

Armstrong.jpg.98b82d3a0a182cd4574aa872ce6358fd.jpg

 

To date, I can account for five examples of E. A. Armstrong labeled wings, the one at the top of this thread, a rough example encountered at a Militaria show in Memphis, another lovely example on Bob's Website, one that was sold by Larry Stone a few years back, and now this one.  Of the examples I am aware of, this is the first half-wing variant encountered to bear Armstrong's label.

 

No doubt, if Armstrong were going to take the trouble to make and market their badges to RMAs they would have made Observer badges as well.  Notwithstanding, until now, I had not encountered one.

 

@pfrost shares my predilection for both bullion and half wings, and I am especially always thrilled when bullion work can be identified to a specific maker.  This particular badge thus scratches many a collecting "itch."

 

Warm regards!

 

Chris

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  • 1 month later...

Great thread about the ARMSTRONG uniform co. I picked up this uniform more than a good decade ago that was made by Armstrong uniform co and I did not find any info on Armstrong until now. It is what I believe could be a early fraternal Freemason costume. It is a hooded costume with a Skull & crossbones patch on the forehead of the hood. Inside the the costume is the same Armstrong uniform co patch as in the bullion examples. 1849582000_ARMSTORNGUNIFORMHOODFACE1.jpg.4ff9245367a9b96d38c82983d6553800.jpg

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If you search for items from Armstrong on ebay, there are several costumes but no military uniforms.  There is also a page from a 1918 magazine with naval swords and belts from Armstrong.

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I figured out the magazine page on ebay was from a "Great Lakes Recruit" magazine and I found a different issue available and bought it.  The edition I picked up (Vol. IV No II, November 1918) had a smaller ad from Armstrong in it.

Armstrong.JPG

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