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Not Playing by the Rules: Early Marine Summer Whites?


Dirk
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Here is an interesting early 20th Century Marine summer undress coat that does not seem to conform to regulations. Originally, it came from our site’s Forum Admin, who is a careful collector, specializing in valor groups. It’s ID’d to a Marine whom Forum Admin and I shared items attributed to the same man. Marine regulations of 1900 note the undress summer coat “is a sack coat....rolling collar two and one half inches deep when rolled....one row of six 28-linge buttons...lowest button 9 inches from bottom of coat.” There is no mention of pockets. There is no mention of material used, but examples show linen, or duck material. It appears around in 1904 a new summer undress coat appeared with two top pockets and secured with only 5 buttons running down the front. 

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Which brings us to this coat: duck material, standing collar, six 28-linge buttons running down it, and two front pockets. It has a 2 inch quilted collar, with the lowest button 9 inches from the button of the coat. The body of the coat is finished to the 1900 specifications. The pockets however match in length and width with the later (1904?) regulations for the khaki campaign coat. Also of interest is the placement of two additional clasps below the lowest button hole. So the coat was meant to be worn close to the body. Ideal for guard post duties but no so good for field mobility.

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No manufacturing or Quartermaster markings are seen on the coat...but three names appear written or stamped. Now keep in mind this coat has been with me before muster rolls were available on line. After a check of the rolls it reveals three names match with Marines who were in the Asiatic theater between 1903 and 1909. And a review of the rolls  show these three men intersected although not concurrently through the US Naval Hospital in Yokohama, Japan. The first man came east aboard the USS Kentucky before serving as part of the Marine guard at the Naval Hospital. The second man arrived earlier serving aboard the USS Solace and serving aboard the Kentucky, before arriving for hospital guard duty in Yokohama around the time the first man was returning stateside. The third Marine arrived at Yokohama after duty in the PI, about the time the second man rotated back to the US. From period letters i have read, Marines during this period could sell their excess uniforms to other Marines, particularly if they knew they were getting out. Likewise if a Marine deserted his uniforms would be auctioned off to his fellow barracks mates.  So by reviewing the muster rolls, we can see a chain of custody for this coat from 1903-09, when the final Marine returned stateside. A photo of the USS Kentucky on Asiatic Station c 1904. The last image shows the last Marine in a series of uniforms before returning stateside.

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But what of the modifications? I will offer the coat started out as a six button rolled collar, pocketless coat and at some point when the regulations changed, one of these Marines took this coat to a local tailor in China or Japan and had it modified to meet the current standards. I have seen some quilting on Marine collars on the Asia station, which I assumed for done for the wearers comfort. Looking at the interior finishing I am wondering if the tailor took two coats and married them together or cut the lining out. I believe the Summer White Coat was dropped by 1910-1912, so the last man must have just taken it home when he left the Corps.

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Dirk, first off you have a very nice white tunic and they are hard to come by in any configuration. I thought perhaps a comparison to one I have in my collection might help. There seem to be a couple of notable differences. While my tunic is not named, if I were a betting man, I would say it dates to that 1904-1905 period or so, and the differences would suggest (to me anyway) yours is earlier with the "updates" or changes made as you have suggested.

 

So most notable different are:

 

1.) The pocket flaps on your tunic appear "longer". Mine measure from top seam of the flap to bottom point at 2 2/12 inches. I posted a thread discussing a named khaki tunic I acquired last year and noted on that tunic that the pockets were larger as well. In fact that tunics flaps measure in at 3 inches. How about yours? I have included one picture of both my white tunic and the khaki one so you can see the difference. 

 

2.) The bottom button on my tunic to the bottom of the tunic measures in at 8 inches, so looks to be an inch shorter. Of course mine has 5 buttons compared to the 6 on yours.

 

3.) Your collar, in addition to having the quilting (which mine does not) sure looks to be a lot taller. Mine measures in at 1 3/4 inches from bottom of collar seam to top of collar. I know that on Officers dress blue tunics, earlier ones are said to have taller collars than later ones. Perhaps the same is true on these white EM tunics as well? By the way, the collar on my khaki tunic is also taller than the one on my white linen-perhaps the same height as the one on yours?

 

Anyway, hope this was a bit helpful and as always, thanks for posting and opening up a discussion once again on early Marine uniforms. So much still seems unanswered and the need for an in-depth uniform study is apparent (hint, hint Alec!). 

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Kevin fully agree with you on your points. The collar is indeed taller on mine....and the quilting is not normally seen on issue uniforms. The 8 inch length is what I expect on the later versions like yours....in fact that example you show looks textbook! Love that quad grouping you have displayed!

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Thanks Dirk, I hope I didn’t over step on your post. Your info is so helpful in trying to identify the differences and determine the dates on these early pieces. So many of the attributes on your tunic remind me of what I see on the khaki one I have. Thanks again for posting a gorgeous piece. Great detective work also by the way in linking those three names. 

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No happy to have your input Kevin! You have built a great collection with some fantastic examples and Alec has shared some excellent documentation and examples to future open our window into this early stuff! I also find Jeremiah to be the “cloth whisperer” as he sees things most of us miss when it comes to cloth 

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