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1924-1931 U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Trophy - Competition Shooting Badge / Award


Basic Rifleman
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Basic Rifleman

I started collecting shootings badges a few years ago, and after being turned on to William K. Emerson's "Marksmanship in the U. S. Army: A History of Medals, Shooting Programs, and Training" as a guide to assist in researching the sale of a rare "Expert Machinegunner" badge.  I later identified a few badges I considered striking examples of craftsmanship and creativity, along with being notably rare in their own right. I recently had the good fortune of picking one of the badges on my list; The U.S. Army Chemical Warfare Trophy. It's my opinion this is one of the nicer, more unique, and well made competition shooting badges in the book, and am elated I have the opportunity to handle one in person. I found through the source above and a few others that the badge was awarded from 1924-1931, and that very few were awarded during the lifespan of the competition. According to these online resource, there were no hard and fast rules about which competitors received the badge, only that "a few" were given annually. The most specific reference states "The awards' number and color (gold, silver, and bronze) varied by year, but generally between nine and 12 competitors received medals of this style."

 

The only other example of a Chemical Warfare Trophy I was able to find, was a silver version online that's attributed to David S. McDougal and stored at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. This is the same LtCol. McDougal that was Killed in Action on Okinawa, and has a USMC EIC Trophy bearing his name that's awarded annually to the Marine Corps Rifle Match winner.

 

Because this site has been an invaluable resource to me over the years, and I saw no mention or reference to this badge in a site-wide search, I saw an opportunity to post something that might be of use to collectors in the future. The badge is twice makers marked by Bailey, Banks & Biddle and is stamped bronze twice as well. I hope if anyone else has one, especially in gold or silver, they'll take the time to post theirs here as well. 

 

I'd also like to point out the Chemical Warfare Trophy (also referred to as the Chemical Warfare Service Trophy) was awarded during the National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. The competition consisted of firing 10 rounds standing at 200 yards, and 10 rounds either sitting or kneeling. Both, according to available resources, required participants to don and adjust their gas mask before loading their rifle. Live fire took place with their gas mask on, and each segments had to be completed in under a minute each.

 

Semper Fi,

Tom

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CWT2.jpg

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Basic Rifleman

Thanks Kurt. If nothing else, I hope this post serves as a reference the next time someone gets lucky and digs one out of a chest or attic...

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