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Interesting 1908 Mills USMC Marine Corps trouser belt


warguy
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I picked this belt off a BIN on ebay last week and thought I would post it here for posterity. I have never seen another, but really found this interesting. Locating an original era advertisement for this belt gave me the confidence to pull the trigger. I have a nice pair of Marine Officers khaki breeches from this time period that I think this will display nicely with.

 

Anyway, this is a khaki web belt privately marketed by Mills to the Marine Corps. It is about 1 1/4 inches wide. There is a 1908 patented date, and the advertisement is dated 1909. Nicely stamped in black on the webbing is USMC and the font looks much like equipment stampings from this time frame. The bronzed-brass end of the belt is also stamped USMC. I think that the "slide stop" referred to in the advertisement is the small rivet on the belt which prevents the brass "keeper" or "slide"  from extending past that spot on the belt. 

 

Once again, I think this is an interesting piece and while not regulation or depot issued, I think it representative of a private purchase piece specifically markets to the Marines of this period. 

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US Victory Museum

Nice find, Kevin.    The documentation from the Army Navy Journal seals the deal. 

 

About a year later, Russell, one of Mills primary competitors, tried to sell a similar belt that utilized a brass tongue and eyelets.

This photo, c. 1909, posted by WWI Nerd shows the center Army soldier most likely wearing the Russell variant.   The one from

Russell is marked "Russell MFG Co. / Jan 08, 1909" and "USQMD" on the reverse.  I'll PM an additional photo to you.

 

2137574435_WWINerdUSMF_2.jpg.f9e05b5f9c63b133fe21ed22c0515985.jpg

 

Now you need to pour through USMC photos for a soldier without a coat and close enough to the camera to see the details of

his belt.   Yours is a phenomenal find!  Clearly marked and documented.  It doesn't get much better!

 

Msn

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US Victory Museum

I was looking through a few old photographs for these early belts; clearly it is going to a bit more difficult to

spot the marine variant because just as the were fewer marines in the armed forces at this time, there were

similarly fewer photographs of marines versus army soldiers.

 

1.jpg.c5b35f81cdc4af2528017ef58a69274f.jpg

 

Both the attached photos were previously posted by WWI Nerd elsewhere on the forum.  Both are WWI era.

One shows the army belt clearly; in the second, the marine with the semaphore flags is showing a wide belt.

To my eyes, this appears to be much wider than the typical skinny Great War era belts.  Unfortunately it isn't

conclusive.   Eventually a clear photo of a marine wearing the marine pattern Mills belt will turn up.

 

2.jpg.6efeceaa4fa72e3cebb77262afa2afd9.jpg

 

Msn

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